While COVID-19 restrictions have been reduced, outdoor dining in Bellevue has not.
As with other cities in the Seattle area, outdoor dining was introduced in the Old Bellevue area to help keep restaurants open during the COVID-19 indoor dining restrictions.
Since then, Bellevue's al fresco dining venues have become popular, especially as a venue for summer events downtown.
As a result, the city launched its third season of dedicated outdoor dining spaces on Tuesday. The program will run through mid-September.
This year, in addition to a number of restaurants along Main Street with outdoor dining facilities in parking lanes, more than 40 other restaurants in the city will also have outdoor spaces on sidewalks and private property.
The city now plans to make outdoor dining programs a regular feature during the summer. The city said in a press release that this year's rollout marks the beginning of a gradual shift from "outbreak recovery to long-term outdoor dining operations and support.