Bass Financial Assistance Program Facilitates Small Business Shift to Permanent Al Fresco Plans; Applications Open Today

New outdoor parklette dining at Compangon Wine Bistro is the new safe way to go out to eat. Photo courtesy of Compagnon Wine Bistro

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Feb. 1 restaurant owners can now apply for the permanent Al Fresco outdoor dining program. The outdoor dining program originally was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and remains popular. The Mayor also launched financial relief for businesses owners to help them continue participating in the permanent program.

Last year, Mayor Bass directed departments to coordinate and develop the approved permanent program which was created to support small businesses and centered them in policy development. The Al Fresco program is helping business owners thrive as 90% of businesses believe their outdoor dining area is integral to their businesses operations and identity, and 97% of businesses are interested in keeping their outdoor dining area permanently, according to a city survey of participating owners.

Additional information and resources are available. Businesses applying for the permanent program can:

Visit the Online Al Fresco Guide, which outlines requirements, anticipated costs, and answers to most frequently asked questions.

Ask questions by contacting the Al Fresco Assistance Helplines (Scroll to bottom)

Get help applying for the program by contacting or visiting one of the city’s ten BusinessSource Centers. Consultants are ready to assist at no cost.

Attend Al Fresco Webinars to learn more about the new program. Webinars are available the 1st Wednesday of each month at 12 p.m. from February 2024 to June 2024. RSVP for the the first webinar on Feb. 7 here.

Refer to the L.A. Al Fresco Disabled Access Toolkit to learn how to provide equal access to customers with disabilities in the Public Right-of-Way.

Small business owners will be automatically considered for the fee relief program upon submitting their application for a revocable permit ― the permit required to operate outdoor dining on the sidewalks and on-street. Business owners are encouraged to apply early to take advantage of the fee relief and ensure adequate time for processing and inspections. As many as 1,800 small businesses are expected to benefit from the fee relief program.