Sacramento’s Al Fresco Dining Program continues to evolve as City staff provided an update to the City Council last week on how the initiative is strengthening small businesses, improving streetscapes and activating public space across the city.
Originally launched in 2020 to help restaurants stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has since become a long-term strategy to promote local business vitality, take advantage of Sacramento’s favorable climate and create more lively, walkable corridors.
The program, made permanent by Council in 2022, allows restaurants to build or expand outdoor dining areas on sidewalks, in parking spaces and on private property using pre-approved design templates and a streamlined permitting process.
These designs include options for simple, mid-range and premium patio layouts — all meeting City standards for safety, accessibility and aesthetics.
“We’ve worked side by side with business owners, design consultants and neighborhood groups to ensure that Al Fresco is not only vibrant and inviting, but also safe, accessible and sustainable,” said Staci Kranitz, Parking Manager with the Department of Public Works.
Since the permanent program’s adoption, 16 Al Fresco patios have been constructed and another five are under construction. An additional 21 applications are currently under review.
In total, more than 150 outdoor sidewalk cafés operate within the public right-of-way throughout the central city. Those numbers include legacy patios that were established before the formal Al Fresco program.
City staff are now working to identify and inventory outdoor dining areas across all neighborhoods to ensure consistent design standards, safety and long-term maintenance citywide.
To support local restaurants in creating new outdoor dining spaces and transitioning temporary setups into permanent installations, the City offered grants of up to $20,000 for eligible expenses such as design, construction and permitting. Between January and September 2023, the City received 87 applications and awarded $365,000 in grants.
The funding helped create 11 patios in the public right-of-way, nine on private lots and assisted at least 10 restaurants in converting temporary patios into permanent ones.
Moving forward, staff will continue outreach and technical support for businesses, conduct an inventory of older outdoor patios to bring them into compliance with new design standards, and increase public awareness of available resources.
The City also plans to measure community and business impacts and adjust design guidelines as needed.
