The City of Whittlesea is a great place to dine out, but it’s an even better place to dine outside.
A new campaign to support local food businesses is part of a suite of offerings to support local food businesses recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
The DineOut(side) campaign encourages residents to get behind local cafés and restaurants and enjoy outdoor dining this summer.
Chair Administrator Lydia Wilson said the DineOut(side) aimed to showcase local restaurants and cafés to encourage people to return to local dining.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the largest ever downturn in the hospitality industry with restaurants and cafés suffering a significant decline in business,” Ms Wilson said.
“With warmer weather well combined with the known benefits of being outside in the fresh air, we wanted to encourage people to explore the wonderful places to eat in the City of Whittlesea and support our local businesses who have done it tough for another year.”
Administrator Chris Eddy said Council was supporting businesses to set up al-fresco style dining options and waiving the 2021-22 fees for outdoor dining and footpath trading permits, covering the costs of public liability insurance for businesses expanding their trade onto the footpath.
“Promoting and supporting local al-fresco dining and waiving the associated fees are just some of the ways Council is working to support our local business community to recover from the impacts of COVID,” he said.
Businesses can join in the DineOut(side) campaign by displaying posters and sharing content on their social media channels.
