Cape Coral seeking approval for outside seating at Streetscape restaurants

The city of Cape Coral is seeking approval to add extra outside seating at restaurants near the now finished Streetscape project.

Now that the Streetscape Project has been completed, Cape Coral wants to expand the seating in restaurants to give people the option to sit outside and enjoy the warm Florida weather all year around.

“It’s fabulous because people want to sit outside. It is Florida,” said Coral Pratillo, who works at Fish Tale Grill.

Pratillo has been working at the Cape Coral restaurant for over 5 years, and she says when they transitioned to outside seating, it transformed the entire place.

She says they outside seating option would be great for business.

“The more tables, the more people come to eat. You know, more servers get more hours. It’s a win-win situation all the way around and we’re very happy about it,” said Pratillo.

Restaurant owners like Diane Marinelli sat they are fully on board with the idea to add outside seating options.

“People who drive by — they’re going to see this. There’s going to be people outside. It’s always going to look good, it’s going to look busy, it will be fun. Again, it’s beautiful and it’s beautiful to look at, so why not use that?” Marinelli said.

And customers are ready to take advantage of the outside views.

“It’s just a good thing for the whole city. This whole street has been a good improvement, I think, for walking and dining, much has been improved,” said Peter and Jeannette Brown.

And for pet owners, bars like the Backstreet Bar and Grill is making their sidewalk dining pet friendly, so the 4-legged friends can join the rest of the family.

The meeting to discuss the outside seating will take place on May 1.