Dayton’s first and so far only Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) launched in 2020, during the first year of the COVID pandemic.
Inside the drinking district, people are allowed to buy alcoholic drinks in special cups that they can take outside and consume on the street or bring into some shops that do not sell alcohol.
The DORA originally was spread across about 40 acres and included the Oregon District business corridor on East Fifth Street and some of Wayne Avenue.
On June 14, the outdoor drinking district was replaced with a new one that covers most of downtown, or about 390 acres.
The updated boundary lines include the Great Miami River to the north, Webster and Keowee streets to the east, Wilkinson Street to the west and Sixth Street to the south.
Businesses that sell alcohol inside the drinking district’s boundaries do not have to take part in the program. But since June, more than 60 downtown businesses have decided to participate in the expanded DORA, including many restaurants, bars and event venues, said Elizabeth Mills, community engagement manager for the Downtown Dayton Partnership.
Over the summer, the partnership conducted a survey of downtown businesses that found that nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) said the expanded outdoor drinking district has had a positive impact on business.
“DORA allows people to explore downtown on foot to visit more of our small businesses,” Mills said. “So far, a total of 100,000 cups have been distributed to businesses since the DORA program’s expansion. We are looking forward to continuing to promote this program for our small businesses and downtown community.”
Warped Wing, which has a taproom at 26 Wyandot St., has sold roughly $3,000 worth of DORA drinks since the expansion, Schwartz said.
“While those sales are over the course of several months, this is still a relatively new thing folks are getting used to,” she said.
Warped Wing’s downtown location does not have a patio, Schwartz said, and DORA gives customers a way to enjoy drinks outside.
She also said her team also has noticed an increase in foot traffic outside the brewery since the expansion.
Schwartz said she’d like to see the expanded drinking district more heavily promoted. She said some downtown visitors do not know about the DORA while others do not understand the rules or how it works.
Schwartz said the expanded DORA is still new and she thinks could take few years for it to become something like a “new norm.”
Businesses in the Water Street District have seen more foot traffic and higher sales since the new DORA was put in place, said Marla Glander, district manager for the Water Street District in downtown Dayton for Crawford Hoying.
“Everyone has been so excited about the DORA and has embraced it,” she said. “We believe as time passes, it will only get better.”
The Water Street District, located in the northeast quadrant of downtown, has welcomed hundreds of new apartments in recent years, plus new restaurant and drinking establishments, including Local Cantina, Moeller Beer Barn and the Foundry, which is a rooftop restaurant in the new AC Hotel.
The expanded DORA has given the area around Day Air Ballpark a whole different vibe, said Chris Bhai, general manager of Brixx Ice Co., a bar and restaurant located across from the stadium where the Dayton Dragons play.
“It has a positive, upbeat feel when you are on the street and we really love it,” he said. “We have seen an increase in walk-ups on game days and that has allowed us to add to the atmosphere by hosting a jazz band” on Fridays on the outdoor patio.
Bhai said some out-of-town guests at the hotels around the stadium do not fully understand the rules, but Brixx has tried to educate its customer base.
He said he thinks people just need a little more time to learn about and fully understand the downtown DORA.
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