St. Charles Mayor Signs Order To Boost Outdoor Restaurant Seating

ST. CHARLES, IL — Restaurants in St. Charles can now apply for free permits from the city to create new outdoor seating, with restrictions set to loosen Friday under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan. St. Charles Mayor Raymond Rogina signed an executive order Wednesday establishing a temporary permitting process for outdoor seating areas at the city’s restaurants.

Many restaurants and stores have transitioned to delivery and curbside pickup over the past two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but dine-in restaurants and some bars can reopen Friday with outdoor seating and new restrictions. Retailers can also welcome customers back inside with limited capacities, under the Restore Illinois plan.

Under Rogina’s executive order, St. Charles restaurants will be allowed to use public sidewalks and up to half of their parking areas to create space for socially distanced outdoor dining areas. Restaurants must close their outdoor dining areas by 10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, and by 11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, the order states.

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The temporary-permit application requires St. Charles restaurants to outline their existing and proposed outdoor seating areas with aerial maps or drawings; show how they will maintain at least 6 feet between tables; and indicate any changes to existing traffic patterns caused by the proposed outdoor seating areas.

Restaurants will not be allowed to host performances or play amplified music, according to the order.

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A restaurant must have a full-service kitchen to sell liquor to customers, under Rogina’s order. Those establishments are allowed to serve drinks to customers at tables, but bar areas are not permitted in the outdoor seating areas, the order states. Customers will not be allowed to leave restaurants with open containers, and restaurants must continue to follow the city’s outdoor liquor license provisions.

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Restaurants and their employees must comply with guidelines issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which call for employees to wear masks and take frequent breaks to wash their hands, the order states.

St. Charles officials are set to close down a portion of 1st Street for restaurants to use for outdoor dining. The street will be closed between Main Street and the entrance to the 1st Street parking garage, allowing restaurants to continue fulfilling takeout and delivery orders using the Illinois Street entrance to the block.