- [Narrator] Billy Elliot and his wife
opened their own business in downtown Tucson,
after Billy had been a waiter
at different restaurants in the city.
It was 2012, and attracting customers
to Elliot's on Congress, he recalls,
was much more difficult than they expected.
- In May of 2012, there was no street out here
because it was the construction of the streetcar
was going on.
So, the first five months we were open,
we literally had no street in front of us.
It was challenging, for sure.
And, we weren't making money
those first few months, obviously.
It takes some time, you know?
- [Narrator] Fast forward to 2020.
Things came together and progressed until the pandemic.
Unpredictability has been a constant companion ever since.
- In fact, it reminds me a lot of the first year we opened,
just because everything's changing
and we're adapting on the fly, week to week, you know?
I don't know how to make the schedule,
I don't know how to staff it,
I don't know what our business hours are gonna be,
and I feel like I have to be here,
you know, all the time.
- [Narrator] But, Elliot calls a new addition
in front of the property, a godsend.
The addition is extra outdoor spaces for customers.
About 16 seats in a fabricated patio over the sidewalk,
with a ramp for pedestrians to get around.
Elliot says the Downtown Tucson Partnership
helped them with the City of Tucson's application process.
He also worked with the state
to ensure he could serve liquor outside.
There are different forms
depending on the government agency.
- We started ours on October 12th, 2020.
Some businesses got it a little earlier than that.
We could have gotten it earlier, but like I said,
I wanted to wait until I had the liquor license extended
as well, because I wouldn't want the patio
if we couldn't sell our infused vodkas out there.
- [Narrator] Over the past few months,
a growing number of patios have been popping up
in the downtown area.
Restaurants are trying to meet the demand
as customers' appetite for dining outdoors returns.
Chris Squires is the managing partner of Ten55 Brewing,
which opened here in 2018.
- At this moment, outdoor seating is king, right?
I mean, we all know that that's the safest way
to sit and dine.
- [Narrator] Retiree Steve Moore agrees.
He's a member of the Tucson Home Brew Club.
He likes to check out different beers with his wife,
and they say the open air setting is an added bonus.
- Particularly in these times, I think it's invaluable.
I think it's a must.
We're a little shy about going eating indoors,
but now that they have the outdoor facility you know,
it's a real plus for the brewery.
- [Narrator] Chris Squire says construction
of the outdoor extension started last summer,
and it went live in October.
- We were fortunate enough to be the recipient of a grant.
So, we combined forces with our neighbors Batch, next door,
and we pooled some grant funding
from the Downtown Tucson Partnership,
and then also from the State of Arizona.
Governor Ducey signed a executive order
helping small businesses build
outdoor seating like this.
The total all in, was over $20,000,
but we were able to cover over half that with grant funding,
so it was immensely helpful.
In times like this you know,
for a restaurant where cash is very, very tight,
I don't think we could have done it without assistance from
both DTP, Downtown Tucson Partnership,
and the State of Arizona, for sure.
- [Narrator] Moving forward, merchants say
they would love to keep these patios in the longterm,
pandemic or not, and they have some support .
Mayor Regina Romero's office says
there have already been some preliminary discussions
with the Downtown Tucson Partnership.
Quote, "The mayor is very supportive
"of making this a permanent option,
"and also wants to explore the possibility
"of expanding this to other restaurant districts in town."
Of course, this will require some coordination
to ensure access to sidewalks and other issues
that we think are manageable.
Regardless of what happens on that front,
Elliot says he'll stay the course.
The patios are most desirable during cooler temperatures,
so he's looking forward to larger crowds in a few months.
- You had to adapt your business on the fly,
and roll with the punches.
But, at this point right now, it feels really good.
It feels really good to be standing strong
and we've been here for a while.
We feel like we're a staple of downtown,
and we're gonna keep on rolling.