INTRODUCTION
There’s a phenomenon sweeping across cities throughout the United States, and its name is DORA.
DORA stands for Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area. When you first hear the term, your mind may jump to places like Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the Las Vegas Strip or Beale Street in Memphis. While those areas allow public alcohol consumption, they aren’t actually DORAs. Instead, they operate under Public Consumption or Open Container ordinances.
So, what’s the difference?
A DORA is much more structured. Rather than allowing open containers throughout an entire entertainment district, a DORA establishes a clearly defined area with specific rules governing where alcohol can be purchased, in what type of container it must be served and when it can be consumed. While that may sound restrictive, these guardrails are exactly why many communities find DORAs to be an attractive option. They provide many of the economic benefits of outdoor drinking while maintaining a greater level of control and oversight.
