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Outdoor Dining Application

Restaurants and cafes in the DDA district may apply to establish outdoor dining areas in the public right-of-way during the warmer months, between April 1st and October 31st. Prior to the establishment and installation of outdoor dining areas, approval of a license agreement is needed by the City Commission. 

Downtown Dollars

All businesses located within the DDA district are invited to join and participate in the premiere community wide eGift card program. These gift cards do not require any special technology or administration to participate, rather any business using a Point of Sales system that accepts Mastercard and can manually key in transactions (similar to taking payment over the phone!) can accept the eGift. For more information on joining, review the merchant recruitment sheet by clicking the title above.

Social District

Social Districts allow for 'common areas' where two or more contiguous licensed establishments may sell alcoholic beverages in designated containers to be taken into the area for consumption. The Social District for Downtown Royal Oak was approved by the City Commission in April 2021, and is not set to expire until September 30, 2031. The Map and Social District Rules can be found on its landing page here

Businesses seeking to join the Social District should follow these steps:

  1. Submit the following to the Downtown Manager, Daniel Hill, at DanielH@romi.gov.
    1. Completed Social District License Agreement
    2. Provide required Insurance Certificate 
    3. A copy of the business logo that once approved will be used to sticker cups.
  2. Once all items are received they will be considered by the City Commission for approval. (You must also seek to amend your Plan of Operation with ROPD)
  3. Following Commission approval, businesses then apply to the State of Michigan MLCC using this Social District MLCC Form. (Local Gov. Approval page would be completed by RO Staff)
  4. Following MLCC Approval, the business then displays the Rules sign and would be eligible to receive Social District cups from the DDA.