Outdoor dining could be the thing that brings life to the often maligned strip of lower Crown Street Mall, as hospitality businesses hope to give locals more options to drink and dine in the sun this summer.
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Alfresco dining has been a lifeline for Wollongong hospitality businesses hit hard by COVID restrictions and ongoing wet weather in the past 12 months.
Tyson Orth, co-owner of Lux Bistro Bar Crown Street Mall said patrons make a beeline to the deck area at the front of his businesses and a new outdoor area in the mall.
"Outdoor dining is really, really popular," he said.
Mr Orth said the terrace area is always first to fill and the new area out the front of the business is at 80 per cent capacity on a good day.
"That's really good, our alfresco areas are really nice to dine in."
Lux is not the only business to take advantage of Wollongong's climate and a post-COVID preference for eating and drinking outdoors.
The LGA is among the top five areas with the most applications for rebates under a NSW state government grant program for alfresco dining.
The rebate covers up to $5000 for furniture, fixtures and weather protection.
Mr Orth said his business utilised a NSW government rebate and the outdoor dining waiver offered by Wollongong City Council to establish its outdoor dining area and hoped to turn the area into a more established set up in the near future.
"If it's positive, we'll be looking at a more permanent structure," he said.
Since 2021, businesses have been calling for more opportunities to enable patrons to sit and eat or drink outside. In response, council waived outdoor dining fees for businesses from July 2021.
These efforts were redoubled in 2022 as the UCI Road World Championships came to town, as Council and businesses hoped to encourage more visitors to stay and drink and dine in town.
While the success of this was mixed, according to business owners, Mr Orth said it was vital that activations of areas such as lower Crown Street Mall continued to encourage locals to come into the CBD.
"Before COVID they had a big light show and an entertainment area down our way with DJs and food carts. We're trying to get that back again," he said.
"The top end of the town, they've got the mall and everything, but I think at the bottom end, if council were to focus on [entertainment] and attracting people would be better."
In the meantime, Mr Orth and other cafe and bar owners are hoping the arrival of a second consecutive La Nina doesn't dampen their prospects.
"With all the rain it's very hard for people to get out, but coming now into the summer months, it's starting to pick up, which is really good."
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