The city of San Antonio is looking to encourage small, independently owned eating establishments to create outdoor dining spaces such as this one at Rosario's in Southtown.
San Antonio Express-News
Marc Duvoisin, Staff writer
Patio dining isn't for everyone, particularly in the kind of weather Texas has been experiencing lately.
Still, San Antonio city officials want to encourage small, independent establishments to create or spruce up patio dining and drinking spaces.
In fact, they will pay you to do it. Call it al fresco funding. (The formal name is the Outdoor Spaces Grant Program.) Here's the skinny.
How much will they pay?
From $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the scope of improvements you make. The grants are intended to fund a portion of the project cost, not all of it. The city wants the business owner to have skin in the game.
What can the money be spent on?
Design, materials, construction and labor costs associated with "physical improvements" to an outdoor dining or drinking space.
What kind of improvements?
A patio, take-out window or shade structure, for example. Also, umbrellas, fans and other cooling systems, as well as outdoor furniture, heaters and lighting.
What else?
You can spend up to 25 percent of the project budget on "digital technology," such as a no-contact payment system or a wifi upgrade.
The San Antonio area has a long tradition of al fresco dining, despite the warm and often muggy summer weather. Above, a postcard from around 1960s shows the patio dining area at Grey Moss Inn.
Courtesy of wwwthealamocity.com
Who's eligible?
Any small, locally owned, independently operated food or drinking establishment within city limits. To be eligible, your business must have been in operation before Jan. 1, 2021, and you have to be in compliance with zoning rules and current on your property taxes.
And it has to be a small business.
Who decides whether a business is small?
Great question, long answer. The city program uses the U.S. Small Business Administration definition. In broad terms, a small business is one with 500 or fewer employees, but the SBA's criteria to receive government aid based on being "small" are very complicated, and they vary by business type. For instance, the "size standard" to be considered a small business is different for a snack bar than it is for a full-service restaurant. Cafeterias have a separate size standard. So do bars.
To dive into the details, go to this page on the SBA website.
Who's not eligible for these grants?
You're out of luck if you're a nonprofit, a local franchise of a big business, a gambling operation or a "sexually oriented business."
Also barred are payday loan and auto loan providers, liquor stores, tobacco, CBD and vape stores, and any business in which a city employee or city official has a financial interest.
Who determines how big a grant I get?
The size of a grant will depend on the project's Combined Equity Score. In other words, your application will be assessed in terms of how much it would benefit low-income and minority communities and parts of the city that historically were denied investment through practices such as mortgage redlining. Depending on the equity score, the city will fund between 50 percent and 90 percent of your project cost.
Wow, this is complicated.
Yes, it is, and that's why city officials are holding informational sessions to answer questions about the grants and explain how to apply. The sessions are scheduled for July 5, 11, 13 and 17. To register for one, go here.
What's the deadline to apply?
The application period opens July 10 and closes Sept. 1. Grant recipients will get the good news in October.