Visitors to the downtown region of Tucson will soon be able to enjoy al fresco dining from a variety of restaurants, according to an Aug. 26 press release from the Downtown Tucson (DTP) website. 

The open air dining was made possible by a new grant program, the Outdoor Cafe Grant Program, from the Pima County and Downtown Tucson partnership. 

The grants will provide up to $5,000 to each restaurant to add, expand or enhance their outdoor seating areas, applicable to anything from furnishing to amenities. The article reported that 19 businesses applied for the grant, totaling over $99,000 in funding requests. 

“This comes at a time when small local restaurants are struggling to stay open,” Chuck Huckelberry, Pima County administrator, said in the press release. “The social distancing requirements coupled with the need to rebuild consumer confidence make this program the solution restaurants so desperately need to survive.”

Restaurants that were approved for the grant for al fresco dining betterment include Penca, located at 50 E Broadway. Penca recently finished a new outdoor cafe, with furnishings the likes of tables and chairs, planters and pedestrian ramps. 

Another restaurant, Senae Thai Bistro at 63 E Congress, used the grant to purchase new outdoor furnishings and planters, as did Ten55 Brewing Company and Batch Cafe and Bar. 

The article said that more cafes are slated to open their new open air dining spaces in the weeks to come. 

“We’ve been given an opportunity to re-envision and reshape our downtown,” Kathleen Eriksen, president and CEO of the DTP, said in the press release. “The new cafes will have a transformative impact on the appearance and walkability of downtown. It’s been rewarding for our team and Pima County to work with the restaurants from the time of application, concept and design phase, to assisting with permit approvals and final realization of their outdoor cafes.”