KANKAKEE, IL – Starting Friday, June 26, restaurants across the state will be allowed to resume indoor dining following Phase Four guidelines under Governor Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. The City of Kankakee has been following the Restore Illinois plan and encourages local businesses and organizations to do the same. Phase Four guidelines include:
For more Phase Four information, visit https://citykankakee-il.gov/restore-illinois.php.
As restaurants move forward towards re-opening their indoor dining, many don’t want to see outdoor dining go away. Downtown Kankakee has an outdoor dining program that locals love.
“Outdoor dining is such a treat! To be able to still enjoy local places like Stefari outside is so fun and relaxing,” said Kankakee resident, Morgan DeVore.
The City of Kankakee would like to thank the Kankakee Valley Park District (KVPD), Kankakee School District 111 (KSD) and the Kankakee Development Corporation (KDC) for donating picnic and cafeteria tables to local businesses during this season to create temporary spaces for outdoor dining.
The following restaurants now have outdoor seating available:
The ECDA team would also like to thank the Department of Public Works (DPW) for taking the time to distribute the tables throughout the community.
“We appreciate the DPW team who quickly and efficiently made time to help us with this temporary need in Kankakee,” said Barbi Brewer-Watson, Executive Director at the Economic and Community Development Agency (ECDA).
The COVID-19 pandemic made eating outdoors trendy and a new appreciation for dining out. City of Kankakee officials recognized this as an opportunity to start planning for a city-wide outdoor dining program similar to downtown Kankakee’s.
“Kankakee is a beautiful city filled with scenic places that work well for this type of program. Currently, we are working to establish an ordinance that would allow outdoor dining for the entire community as we know many of our residents and visitors enjoy good food and the great outdoors,” said Mayor Wells-Armstrong.
Kankakee’s city-wide outdoor dining program is anticipated to begin during Spring 2021.
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About the Economic and Community Development Agency (ECDA):
The Kankakee Economic and Community Development (ECDA) is a local government agency whose mission is to improve the lives of Kankakee residents and enhance the economic vitality of communities through housing, economic development and community development. The ECDA administers programs that serve the neighborhoods and residents of the City of Kankakee provided by federal, state and local funding. For more information, contact ECDA at 815-933-0506, Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
About the City of Kankakee, Illinois:
The City of Kankakee is dedicated to protecting, building and nurturing the community while enhancing lives. We are a historic, vibrant and active riverfront community. We continue to transform into an extraordinary place to dream, grow and thrive. Embracing our diversity, we strive to be progressive, inclusive and innovative. For more information on the City of Kankakee, please visit the website at www.citykankakee-il.gov.