Like Brookhaven, Dunwoody Now Offers Its Restaurants New Outdoor Dining Options

The city of Dunwoody, just north of Atlanta, joins neighboring Brookhaven in offering its restaurants a temporary outdoor dining permit to expand outside seating options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once obtained, the “Temporary Outdoor Restaurant Operations” permit is in effect through December 31, 2020.

On Monday evening, the Dunwoody city council voted unanimously to approve the special outdoor dining permit that allows restaurants to utilize common areas, parkings spaces, and other outside areas approved by the property owner for seating. These new seating arrangements cannot exceed a restaurant’s current occupancy limit.

Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst told Eater Atlanta in late April he hoped his city’s temporary outdoor dining permit provided a safer seating alternative for restaurants reopening for dine-in service. Recent studies indicate people may be more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 within enclosed spaces, such as restaurant dining rooms.

“I’m excited that the City of Dunwoody has moved quickly to offer an innovative solution during this pandemic,” Mayor Lynn Deutsch says in the press release. “We want to give our restaurants an additional tool to maximize space as they serve customers in a new way.”

Completed permit applications can be emailed to permits@dunwoodyga.gov for approval.

In addition to the new outdoor dining permit, restaurants located within Dunwoody Village are permitted to sell beer, wine, and cocktails to-go. The city designated Dunwoody Village as an open container “entertainment district” in March, allowing restaurants to provide alcoholic beverages to patrons in clear plastic cups labeled with special stickers.

As of April 27, Georgia restaurants may reopen for dine-in service with limited seating capacity and only if a set of 39 state-mandated guidelines are followed. During a COVID-19 press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced he was increasing the party size at restaurants from six to ten people per table and the dining capacity from ten patrons per 500 square feet to ten patrons per 300 square feet. All other compliance guidelines for restaurants remain in place through at least May 31.

Several Atlanta-area restaurants have already reopened or plan to reopen dining rooms over the coming weeks.

Eater Atlanta reached out to the city of Dunwoody for further details on the new outdoor dining permit.

Stay home if sick. Check the Georgia Department of Public Health website for guidance and updates on the latest number of reported COVID-19 cases. Numbers are now updated three times a day.

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