Outdoor Dining Gets a Big Check

On Wednesday, the City received $1.5 million to construct on-street dining parklets from Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena).

The presentation was made outside Soh Grill House in Old Pasadena.

A patio was built at that location during the pandemic, but it was destroyed by a fire.

“[The owner] will be able to construct a new patio that will allow them to serve even more customers and support their business,” Chu said. 

Chu said the money is an investment in Pasadena’s small businesses.

“Americans are now starting to eat out at restaurants outdoors. So expanding these on-street dining areas will make everybody so much more prosperous and so much happier in terms of enjoyment and entertainment.”

Pasadena was one of the first cities in Southern California to offer outdoor dining during the pandemic. After the pandemic ended, the City amended parts of the zoning code and permit process to keep the practice going.

“It saved a lot of businesses,” Mayor Victor Gordo said. “Well, now we’re taking that step, and we’re becoming one of the first, if not the first, cities to have an opportunity for common design.”

“We’ve got a permitting process, and now with the help of Congressmember Chu, we’ve got some funding to improve these public spaces for, of course, the restaurant owners, for residents, but also for our city in general.”

Thousands of restaurants shuttered due to the economic impacts of the pandemic.

But that could have been worse if many cities did not establish outdoor dining, which allowed restaurateurs to begin operating again.

“I think it’s important to say that this is an investment in a local business, but it’s also an investment in our community,” said Gordo. “And now we’re asking residents to join us in that investment. Shop local, come have some great Korean food, go across the street and have Jimmy John’s. The point is, if you’re thinking of eating out or shopping today, tomorrow, or over the course of the next two years, think about Pasadena.”