During the global pandemic, communities around our country moved their dining to the streets—quite literally. Areas that were once dominated by cars and traffic became pedestrian safe havens and a place to break bread with loved ones.

The Problem

In Downtown Durham, NC, the expanded outdoor dining program was temporary and there were no steps being taken by city leaders to extend the program or make it permanent.

The Process

Working with our local independent restaurants, I spearheaded a campaign to lobby City Council to make outdoor dining permanent.

  1. We created campaign check cards to be passed out to all guests with their bills. The cards included a brief description of the issue and a QR code that would lead people to a website explaining the issue in greater depth. Throughout the website, we embedded one-click links to a pre-written email for City Council Members.
  2. We engaged the local media around the issue and received valuable press coverage for the campaign.
  3. We involved influential organizations such as Downtown Durham Inc, who were able to do the heavy political lifting and leverage the public pressure we were applying.

The Result

City Council voted unanimously to make expanded outdoor dining a permanent feature in Downtown Durham.