Fayetteville says outdoor drinking bringing relief during pandemic

Melissa Broyles-Langley, a bartender at Bugsy's on Dickson Street, pours a draft beer Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, into a to-go cup at the bar in Fayetteville. The city’s outdoor refreshment area opened downtown July 22, allowing customers of certain establishments to take drinks outside on designated streets. Visit nwaonline.com/200823Daily/ for today's photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Melissa Broyles-Langley, a bartender at Bugsy's on Dickson Street, pours a draft beer Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, into a to-go cup at the bar in Fayetteville. The city’s outdoor refreshment area opened downtown July 22, allowing customers of certain establishments to take drinks outside on designated streets. Visit nwaonline.com/200823Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

FAYETTEVILLE -- What started as a way for people to enjoy drinks on the go downtown turned into a viable method for businesses to make money during the pandemic, the city's head of economic development said.

The pilot program for the Outdoor Refreshment Area kicked off at 10 a.m. July 22. Since then, more than 65,000 green-striped, compostable cups have gone out the doors of nearly 50 downtown bars and restaurants, Economic Vitality Director Devin Howland said.

State law enacted last year allows cities to create entertainment districts where people can drink outside within a boundary. The city adopted its ordinance in June, but work started on it about a year before.

Customers can buy drinks on the go from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The boundary roughly covers Watson Street to the north, to East Avenue, to Mountain and Prairie streets to the south and West Avenue and Powerhouse Alley to the west.

The ordinance allowing outdoor drinking was coupled with a measure enabling businesses to use public parking spaces or their private property as sit-down space. Parklets began popping up along Dickson Street this summer, replacing otherwise empty parking spaces with stools and benches enclosed in short fencing. Businesses such as Big Box Karaoke and Maxine's on Block Avenue turned the vacant spaces near their doors into picnic-like spots for drinking.

Business owners asked to start the pilot program before the majority of University of Arkansas students returned for fall semester. Classes begin Monday, and the city has had about four weeks to evaluate the program.

Some businesses have special menus for the to-go drinks, while others typically charge an extra $1 for a regular menu item in the cup. The cups are free to the businesses from the city. The cost per 16-ounce cup is about 11 cents.

Howland said he's heard from a number of businesses saying they received their first bits of substantial revenue since March once the program started.

"If I had to summarize how it's gone thus far: far better than expected, with far more benefits than expected," Howland said. "We've seen really creative use of this program."

A sense of normalcy

The goal was to create an outdoor drinking program that was safe and free of litter and unwanted loitering, Howland said.

The city has yet to receive reports of any disturbances related to outdoor drinking, he said. City staff found 18 of the green-striped cups on the ground so far. Patrons have respected private property, he said.

Howland said spreading the district over basically all of downtown prevents clusters of people from gathering. Implementing the program daily makes it feel routine. The 10 p.m. cutoff time is intended to keep the late-night crowd from getting unruly.

Students started trickling into town a couple weeks ago. City staff will continue to monitor the program and make adjustments as needed, Howland said.

George's Majestic Lounge used the Outdoor Refreshment Area to bring music back to Dickson Street. The establishment turned the parking area west of the building into a makeshift space with a small stage and speaker system, with tables set a safe distance apart and enough room to play Baggo.

"We're trying to find a pulse in the old girl again," said Brian Crowne, owner. The venue closed in March, around the time closings were issued statewide. It had its first event July 25, with 50 people in the venue's large indoor room. The first outdoor event in the parking lot was Aug. 2.

Crowne said he hasn't received any noise complaints. If anything, hearing music again downtown is bringing people some semblance of normalcy, he said.

"It's an opportunity to see what patrons are going to be comfortable with, and what their potential spending habits might be," Crowne said. "It's odd, because in almost 20 years, this is the first time I've not really been able to forecast business. You just don't know. Experimenting with going outside is exactly what it is -- an experiment."

Trial runs

Other cities in or near Northwest Arkansas are experimenting with outdoor drinking. Fort Smith established a temporary district March 17 in its downtown near Garrison Avenue and is considering making it permanent. The city approved a permanent district at Chaffee Crossing earlier this month.

Eureka Springs put its entertainment district on hold after just three days in March following significant public feedback. The idea of having the tourist destination allow outdoor drinking was hotly debated for months before the City Council decided to put the question on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Springdale's Outdoor Dining District got under way Aug. 14. It operates in much the same way as Fayetteville's Outdoor Refreshment Area. Drinking is allowed outside 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, in marked, disposable cups. The district includes Emma Avenue and a few surrounding blocks.

It's still early, but the move has improved sales, said Jeff Brown, owner of The Odd Soul on Emma Avenue.

"We're holding on tight, but it's taking a tenacious grip," he said.

The Outdoor Dining District has given downtown businesses a new option for revenue, Brown said. The Odd Soul is used to innovating. What started out as a beer-only establishment that let customers build their own six-packs turned into an arcade. The machines were moved out and an expanded kitchen moved in, and now the place is known for its craft selections in beer, wine, bourbon and its pizza.

Some residents worried downtown Springdale would get rowdy with outdoor drinking. That's not the city's style, Brown said, and he advocated for the district's creation.

"We have to play by the rules. I've got mine and eight employees' lives at stake here. That's true for the other bars as well," Brown said. "We are all about obeying the law and keeping things within the rules and keeping it manageable, because this is a really cool thing. The people who are going to make use of this are really excited about it. We don't want to see anyone abuse it and lose it for the rest of us."

Keeping cool

Calm is the name of the game in Fayetteville as well. Scott and Ashley Harrell of Fort Worth, Texas, sat Thursday along Block Avenue with their daughters, Emily and Hannah. Everyone in the family had a beer while waiting to eat at Hugo's.

The Dallas-Forth Worth area allows outdoor drinking similar to Fayetteville's program. The family said they never noticed it getting out of hand there.

Hannah Harrell, a senior at the university, said she'll be glad to be able to sit outside with friends and have a drink. Emily Harrell, a recent graduate of the university, said she wished the program was in place when she was in school.

Bartenders around downtown Fayetteville reported mixed reactions. A few said some people tend to get confused about the rules and try to walk out the door with a canned or bottled drink.

Jeff Price, bartender at Sideways off Dickson Street, said it's his job to educate people. The bar can hold about 50 customers safely, and so far, he's experienced few if any issues, he said.

People tend to come to Sideways to grab a beer while waiting to be seated at nearby Wasabi and Farrell's restaurants, Price said. He makes it a point to tell them they can't take the beer from Sideways into the restaurant. Some customers take a drink to go before they head to another destination, he said.

On a weekend night, Sideways sends anywhere from 12 to 20 cups of beer out the door, Price said. Business started picking up once students returned and will likely climb over the next few weeks, he said.

"We're going to handle everything," Price said. "More people is more money for us."

The pilot program is scheduled to last until Jan. 30. After that, city staff will reevaluate the program with administrators and City Council members and host public meetings and surveys to get feedback.

A draft beer stands Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, as Melissa Broyles-Langley, a bartender at Bugsy's on Dickson Street, makes a mixed drink in a to-go cup at the bar in Fayetteville. The city’s outdoor refreshment area opened downtown July 22, allowing customers of certain establishments to take drinks outside on designated streets. Visit nwaonline.com/200823Daily/ for today's photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
A draft beer stands Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, as Melissa Broyles-Langley, a bartender at Bugsy's on Dickson Street, makes a mixed drink in a to-go cup at the bar in Fayetteville. The city’s outdoor refreshment area opened downtown July 22, allowing customers of certain establishments to take drinks outside on designated streets. Visit nwaonline.com/200823Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
The city of Fayetteville's outdoor refreshment area opened downtown July 22, allowing customers of certain establishments to take drinks outside on designated streets. Visit nwaonline.com/200823Daily/ for today's photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
The city of Fayetteville's outdoor refreshment area opened downtown July 22, allowing customers of certain establishments to take drinks outside on designated streets. Visit nwaonline.com/200823Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

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Outdoor Refreshment Area rules

People must use designated Outdoor Refreshment Area cup and wristband.

Beverages in Outdoor Refreshment Area cups must be purchased from a participating business.

Outdoor Refreshment Area cups allowed in public daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Keep cups inside of boundary signs.

Don’t take your cup into any other alcohol-serving establishment or other business without their consent.

Don’t loiter and don’t litter. Dispose of cups in recycling receptacle.

Don’t give your Outdoor Refreshment Area cup to anyone else, even if they are 21 or older.

Practice social distancing and wear a mask when social distancing isn’t possible.

All state and city laws still apply.

For more information, go to fayetteville-ar.gov…

Source: Fayetteville

Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at sryburn@nwadg.com or on Twitter @stacyryburn.

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