As summer wanes, Tacoma bars and restaurants spill into the street
A group of four girlfriends, seated at a picnic table under an umbrella, enjoyed a flight of four ciders. A couple met up with friends; another sat with their dog perched on the bench.
As the sun fell behind the Dome, together (but not really) we relished another perfect summer day in Tacoma with a pint of Incline Cider’s flagship hopped cider and the one-off spicy peach, available only at the Brewery Blocks taproom. It was pleasant. It was normal.
It was a rectangle of 2x4s and orange cones in the street.
“It gave us an option,” Incline co-owner Jordan Zehner told The News Tribune.
For many people navigating society during a pandemic known to circulate through droplets in the air, he added, “The line in the sand is: ‘I’ll only sit outdoors.’”
The curbside cafe expanded the number of guests Incline could accommodate under Phase 2’s half-capacity restrictions. Instead of only having room for about 25 people inside, seated at least six feet apart, the cidery could welcome nearly twice that number.
The City of Tacoma introduced its pilot “streatery” program in June, while expediting its review process for sidewalk cafes, the idea very much being: How can we help local businesses here and now?
Restaurants and retailers can apply for this free temporary permit to overtake a couple of parking spaces, barricaded at least two feet from the street by planters, a fence or other movable structure. The city prioritized streets where the speed limit is less than 25 miles per hour, but would consider outliers on a case-by-case basis. Other restrictions apply, such as being at least 30 feet from a stop sign and 60 feet from a bus stop.
Still in its infancy, the city received six applications as of this month, according to information provided to The News Tribune.
This weekend, Dystopian State Brewing downtown will open its taproom in the street, which co-owner Shane McElwrath built with wood and barrels as he awaited final approval from the city and the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board.
Also after liquor board approval, KVLT Mead in the Dome District will soon open its curbside cafe with three tables on 26th Street. Brian Sprouse, who opened the meadery in March 2019 with his partner Jen Otis, said they had considered adding outdoor seating in the past, but with revenue down about 50 percent, open-air drinking became the “pressing matter” it hadn’t been before.
Drink outside, Washington
As of late July, when Pierce County was struggling with the highest numbers of COVID-19 since the virus’ peak in April, the opportunity also became a necessary blessing: In response to that spike, Gov. Jay Inslee clamped down on social drinking, ordering bars that don’t serve food to shut down indoor seating.
For the brewery and the meadery, that meant shutting their doors to on-premise consumption, which basically pays for wholesale production.
A handful of restaurants, plus bars in a similar boat, have taken advantage of the city waiving fees for sidewalk cafes. Zip around town and you’ll notice new outdoor seating at Amitie Wine Company, Olive Branch Tea Room, Shakabrah Java, The Spar and Zeeks Pizza. In Browns Point, North 47 Brewing has built a “patio” in the parking lot, and it was full, socially distant-style, on a recent Saturday afternoon.
At The Swiss, which was operating a sidewalk and curbside cafe until announcing a temporary closure Aug. 5, co-owner Carole Ann McQuade said the extra space helped but cautioned that it might be more beneficial for a waterfront restaurant.
As if summer — the busiest season for Washington’s nearly 500 breweries — wasn’t weird enough, this most recent blow felt like a punch in the gut, many have told The News Tribune. Expanded outdoor seating options, whether on the sidewalk or in the street, offer a lifeline to small businesses and a refuge for the rest of us.
Sure, you’re sitting awkwardly in what amounts to a pop-up pen at a petting zoo, but you’ve got cold beer, cider or mead in your hand, and — whirring engines of passing cars aside — that’s worth celebrating in 2020 America.
Tacoma’s curbside cafes
Incline Cider House
▪ 2115 S. C St. (at Brewery Blocks), Tacoma, 253-327-1923, inclineciderhouse.com
▪ Hours: Wed-Fri 2-8 p.m.; Sat 12-8 p.m.; Sun 12-6 p.m.
▪ 21+ only
Dystopian State Brewing
▪ 611 S. Baker St., Tacoma, 253-302-3466, dystopianstate.com
▪ Hours: Fri 5-10 p.m.; Sat 12-10 p.m.; Sun 12-6 p.m.
▪ Family-friendly
KVLT Mead
▪ 306 E. 26th St., Tacoma, 253-666-8739, kvltmead.com
▪ Hours: Tue-Fri 3-9 p.m.; Sat 12-7 p.m. (subject to change)
▪ Family-friendly
North 47 Brewing Co.
▪ 1000 Town Ctr NE, Tacoma, 253-517-9865, Tacoma, north47brewery.com
▪ Hours: Mon-Thu 3-10 p.m.; Fri 3-11 p.m.; Sat 2-11 p.m.; Sun 1-8 p.m.
▪ 21+ due to limited seating
7 Seas Brewing Community Beer Garden
▪ 2101 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253-572-7770, 7seasbrewing.com
▪ Hours: Sun & Wed-Thu 2-8 p.m.; Fri-Sat 2-9 p.m.
▪ 21+ in beer garden due to limited seating
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM.