CLEVELAND — Mabel’s Barbecue is one of many East 4th Street businesses that are known for flavor and fun.

Doug Petkovic is a co-owner.

What You Need To Know

  • East 4th Street in Cleveland has been approved as a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA

  • This is Cleveland's first DORA

  • DORA zones allow people to walk around the area with an open container of alcohol

“Everybody on the street, ourselves included, everybody has their own personality of a cocktail or a beer,” Petkovic said. 

But soon people won’t have to stay within the confines of the patios to enjoy their drinks, since the city has gotten approval to turn East 4th Street into a designated outdoor refreshment area (DORA). Guests will soon be allowed to carry an open container of alcohol on East 4th Street. Petkovic said there will be signage showing where the DORA starts and ends.

“The DORA is designed to take the street and create an atmosphere where people can go in, purchase a DORA cocktail in your establishment,” Petkovic said. “Walk outside, walk throughout and enjoy the street.”

Petkovic said a DORA would help his business, but you’ll likely have to keep your drink in a special kind of marked container.

“Whatever drink you wanna sip is good for walking around, but bourbon certainly fits that category,” Petkovic said. 

A map of Akron’s DORA zone shows that it covers much more land than East 4th Street. Canton and Shaker Heights have also used DORA zones. The state liquor control board allows municipalities with more than 60,000 people to have up to six DORA zones. East 4th is Cleveland’s first DORA zone.

“I think that these should be available to more neighborhoods that promote walking around in an area, enjoying yourself,” Petkovic said. “Enjoying everything around the area.”

Sam McNulty owns Market Garden Brewery and several other businesses on west 25th street in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. He’s had discussions with the city about turning part of the street into a DORA, but the city would have to close the road.

“I think this would be a great location,” McNulty said. “Ohio City and West 25th would be a great location for DORA if we can close down the street and open it up to people.”

Perkovic said East 4th doesn’t have that problem.

“We do not have to worry about car traffic coming down because the street is closed off,” Petkovic said. 

Petkovic said that the specifics for the DORA are still in the works and that it likely won’t be set up for another year. A spokesperson for Cleveland City Hall said there are no other DORA applications in the pipeline at this time.