Bemidji City Council Votes to Approve Expanded Outdoor Dining

The Bemidji City Council has voted to expand outdoor seating for downtown Bemidji restaurants. Restaurants will be allowed to use public right of way areas to serve their guests.

The ability to serve guests in outdoor areas in this way was first introduced in 2020 to allow restaurants to stay open when indoor dining was closed due to COVID-19. The resolution was approved 5-2 by the council for this summer. The seating areas will come mostly from parking spaces.

The outdoor seating areas will be a bit less expansive compared to last summer. The areas will be blocked off by barricades, which are expected in a few weeks.