All too often they leave with a paper bag in one hand and a coffee in the other, she said, unable to snag a coveted seat in her small cafe.

But a solution could soon be at hand, with Wollongong City Council revealing plans this week to boost outdoor dining in the CBD.

Under the plans, eateries wanting to set up tables and chairs for alfresco dining at the front of their shops will have to apply to the council only for a licence, instead of lodging a separate, often costly development application seeking council permission.

The new dining approvals will apply to shop fronts - eateries or not - in upper and lower Crown St, Globe Lane and Civic Plaza.

Ms Hankey said she and her daughter had lodged a development application to allow outdoor dining in Civic Plaza when they first bought The Educated Palate in 2004, but it was knocked back because of traffic concerns.

The council's new proposal will allow her business to have a similar set-up to what she was seeking eight years ago.

"We're very supportive of what the council wants to do here," she said, adding she expected it would add 40 seats to her cafe.

"Wollongong is so lovely outside, especially during summer, so it would be great to have more people able to enjoy a sit-down meal at lunchtime."

The move is part of the council's bid to revitalise the CBD by attracting more restaurants, cafes and ultimately, more pedestrian traffic through the city.

Mark Grimson, council's city centre revitalisation manager, said many established cafe owners surveyed by council had found the process to access outdoor dining approvals arduous and complex.

He said it was hoped the proposal, if approved, would help existing eateries to expand and give incentive for new operations to open.

"The use of outdoor dining has become a feature of thriving cosmopolitan and cultural centres," he said. "Wollongong can take advantage of its warm temperate climate by encouraging the use of footpaths and public spaces for outdoor dining."

Mr Grimson said while a fee for gaining an outdoor dining licence may apply, it would be considerably less than the cost of submitting a development application.