ERLANGER, Ky. — Some cities in Northern Kentucky are taking extra steps to help restaurants.

What You Need To Know


  • Restaurants can begin reopening May 22

  • 33% capacity indoors

  • Erlanger adjusts zoning regulations to help businesses serve outdoors

During the reopening process, at least three cities have relaxed zoning regulations to allow outdoor seating.

Colonial Cottage owner Matt Grimes said his business is primarily an indoor restaurant.

With reopening starting on May 22, Grimes could serve about 45 people inside, staying within the 33 percent capacity set by Governor Andy Beshear (D), and adhering to guidelines by the Kentucky Restaurant Association.

“Within that guideline, we have the freedom to consider our own physical barriers,” Grimes explains. “I have a row of booths. Well I know I can’t seat every one of those booths but I can seat every other booth because that gives at least 6 feet of spacing. And then I have booths that are on the other side of the hall because I won’t be able to seat at all because there’s only 4 feet of distance.”

For the last two decades since Grimes has owned this restaurant, they didn’t have a drive-thru or outdoor seating, that is until now.

“It’s been things that we’ve never would have thought about had we not been forced to think about. We have been forced to think differently,” Grimes said.

Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette said it’s about finding creative solutions to help businesses. 

Fette signed an executive order to temporarily relax zoning regulations to allow outdoor seating. She said the idea is an inspiration from the City of Cold Spring.

“There’s no reason to recreate the wheel. When somebody is doing something amazing in some other community and we identify that, we need to get moving. This is a crisis, we got to figure out ways to help people with their businesses,” Fette said.

Grimes said the adjusted zoning regulations will help add at least a dozen more people outside.

“There’s some real love going out there and it just shows we are in this community and we are in this together,” Grimes said.

The City of Fort Mitchell also took similar action. They will allow restaurants to provide outdoor seating with limited capacity at 50 percent or less than the indoor seating capacity for a restaurant.