To-go alcoholic drinks, outdoor parklets to remain part of dining scene

To-go cocktails, parklets for outdoor dining become part of California dining scene

New legislation in California will allow restaurants and bars to continue serving alcoholic drinks to go for years while also making some parklets permanent spaces for restaurants to serve customers.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom offered a boost to California's restaurant industry Friday with the signing of three state bills.

Two of the bills are designed to allow restaurants to continue serving on outdoor parklets in California.

Referring to the parklets Friday, Newsom said, "the biggest fear and anxiety that all of us have had as consumers, not just businessmen and women, is please don’t take this away after the pandemic, and so that’s what these bills are all about."

Newsom also signed a third bill, allowing restaurants to keep ‘to go’ cocktails on their menus.

"We’ve been ramping up in ‘to go’ orders as well. So, it definitely helps us. We’d love to continue that as long as we can," said Stacy Loewenberg, manager of Broderick Roadhouse in Walnut Creek.

But Loewenberg said that the preservation of parklets was the bigger win for the restaurant industry.

"That’s the best news for us because it’s allowed us to basically have a second restaurant here and it seems like everyone at Walnut Creek really enjoys it."

Under the bills parklets will remain in California through 2024. Cocktails ‘to go’ will stay on restaurant menus through at least 2026.