Councilman launches Eat on the Street initiative to support expansion of San Antonio eateries

District 1 Councilman Roberto C. Treviño wants to get more butts into locally-owned restaurant seats — and he’s started a pilot program dedicated to doing just that.

The Eat on the Street initiative is a joint effort between the councilman’s office, the World Heritage Office and the city's public works department that aims to help small businesses expand their footprint, mySA reports.

The larger footprint would allow small local businesses to welcome more guests while remaining within pandemic-driven capacity restrictions, according to the story.

The councilman told the news site that he reached out to St. Mary's Strip restaurants near King's Court and Mistletoe Avenue, including Golden Wat Noodle House and Cullum's Attagirl Ice House, to gauge interest in the project.

Golden Wat’s new street patio, which will be constructed through the program, will occupy two parking spaces, expanding its dining area by five tables.

Cullum's Attagirl Ice House owner Christo Cullum told mySA that the program nearly tripled his eatery’s occupancy by filling in a city-owned area with concrete. The restaurant added two picnic tables to the new patio, supplementing a dining room that can only accommodate 12 people under current restrictions.

The initiative will begin in earnest on Tuesday, February 16, and will be a continuous effort during the coronavirus pandemic, Treviño told mySA. He said that he hopes the program will become an example of how to help the restaurant industry prevail through the pandemic.

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