Snow Out and Patrons In
Winterization Grants Keep the Snow Out and Patrons in
On December 21st six downtown restaurants were awarded up to $1350 from CharlotteRising to help with winterization efforts. In November 2020 Governor Whitmer signed an executive order stating restaurants are closed for indoor dining. This order spurred action from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, as they soon put out the Winterization Grant program. Through this program businesses could apply for as much as $10,000 to support winterization efforts which included--outdoor tenting, outdoor seating, heaters, hand sanitizing stations, and technology to assist take-out orders.
CharlotteRising was awarded a Winterization Grant for $10,000 on December 8th and within 3 days a mini-grant program was created in downtown to redistribute these funds to restaurant owners. Six local restaurants applied, receiving, on average, $1350. These funds were used to purchase tents and heaters throughout downtown.
Charlotte residents immediately got on-board with the new tent, or as many people called them, igloos. Some local restaurant owners had people calling in weeks in advance just to reserve a spot. People throughout the greater Lansing region were funneling into Charlotte for these unique outdoor dining experiences.
On January 26th MLive put out a pole with the best outdoor dining locations in greater Lansing (Click here to see link https://www.mlive.com/michigansbest/2021/01/vote-now-for-lansing-areas-best-outdoor-dining.html?fbclid=IwAR1CcmSGIu8jc7DidwMBYXJlzd35wOfz5ixmRZQrJWO0q5zkCqE8yxy5siE ) and Charlotte had 5 out of the 13 nominated locations for best outdoor dining, making our mark regionally as the place to dine outside.
None of this would’ve been possible without the great support and flexibility of our downtown restaurant owners who continue to innovate with every curveball thrown at them. Over the next few weeks we ask you to frequent our downtown eateries to keep this positive momentum going. Even though indoor dining is at 25% there are still many igloos throughout downtown to try if you haven’t had the chance yet. If either of those options still make you feel uncomfortable all downtown restaurants offer curbside pick ups for take out. #EatLocal