In an effort to safely expand the dining experience for the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Birmingham will launch “Eat in the Streets’’ from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. July 9-11 in Avondale. This pilot program will expand restaurant dining space outdoors on a closed portion of 41st Street South to promote social distancing.
Forty-first Street will be closed between First and Third avenues south. Because this is a pilot program, the city will evaluate the first event to determine if and where future events will be held.
“People come from everywhere to enjoy our world-class restaurant and bar scene,” Mayor Randall L. Woodfin said. “In many ways, food and drink are the heartbeat of our culture and our economy, which is why I’m happy that we can test this approach to see how it works with the public.’’
Currently, Alabama restaurants are limited on how many people can be inside their businesses because of COVID-19 public health restrictions.
“Dozens of businesses closed and hundreds of people have been laid off due to the economic impact of the pandemic,” Woodfin said. “As we continue to operate in a ‘new normal’ during this pandemic, we are looking for new ways to serve the public.’’
“The Avondale merchants are so excited to bring the Eat in the Streets concept to 41st Street,” said Taylor Lander of the Avondale Merchants Association and director of operations for Avondale Brewing.
Participating venues will include Avondale Common House, Saw’s Soul Kitchen, Post Office Pies, Avondale Brewing, Luna, 41st Street Pub, Satellite and Travis’ Food Truck.
“We hope it will create a safe outdoor environment to enjoy your favorite food and drink from the area restaurants and bars while also kicking off our first weekend as an entertainment district. We want to thank the city of Birmingham for all of their hard work and support making this happen,” Lander said.
Attendees must wear face coverings except for when they are eating or drinking. There will be volunteers to assist with monitoring and reminding participants to social distance and wear face coverings. Consumers will also be able to place take-out orders.
