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May 1, 2020

Hartford eyes expanded outdoor dining service amid plans to reopen CT economy

HBJ Photo | Joe Cooper Salute restaurant in downtown Hartford.
By Greg Bordonaro and Sean Teehan

The race is on to expand outdoor dining services in the wake of Gov. Ned Lamont’s announcement Thursday that the state could begin to reopen the economy May 20, and the city of Hartford wants to be on the leading edge.

Lamont said his preliminary plan for easing COVID-19 restrictions would permit businesses to reopen to varying degrees on May 20, assuming the increased availability of testing and a continued reduction in hospitalizations and illnesses due to coronavirus.

Restaurants will be allowed to continue takeout services and open outdoor table service, while bars will remain closed, Lamont said.

Shortly after the governor’s 4 p.m. press conference, Sara Bronin, chair of Hartford’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said the city will consider changing its zoning regulations to lift limits on the size of outdoor seating areas and encourage the conversion of parking lots to outdoor seating. 

The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider the changes at its May 26 meeting, she said.

Any changes would consider the size of an existing outdoor area and potential noise impacts to surrounding neighborhoods, among other factors, drafted regulations say.

“Eliminating the strict maximum size requirement and replacing it with factors to weigh will provide flexibility for restaurateurs and the city in administering these regulations,” an explanation of the amendments states. “Moreover, allowing this change reinforces long-term concerted efforts through zoning policies to de-emphasize parking and repurpose parking lots.”

Other municipalities are likely to follow suit as restaurants have been hard hit by the state’s economic shut down since mid-March, which forced eateries to close all dining services, except takeout.

Still, the state’s top restaurant trade group expressed some disappointment in Lamont’s restrictions-easing plan -- which is being led by a 50-member advisory board made up of health, business and government experts -- saying it doesn’t go far enough.

“The plans announced [Thursday] would be a step toward reopening, but we fear it would not be nearly a big enough step to save thousands of restaurants on the brink of going out of business,” said Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA). “We’re asking the group to be flexible as they refine these plans, and we stand ready to help them do it.”

Dolch said restaurant owners know that some restrictions must remain, but the industry has offered ideas, such as limits on capacity.

Billy Grant, who owns Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford, said he's looking into how he could add more outdoor seating to his eatery on LaSalle Road. However, he said a lack of outdoor space and social-distancing requirements will limit its potential in helping his business.

Bricco is currently breaking even doing takeout with 20% of its pre-COVID-19 workforce. Grant said that while outdoor seating wouldn't be a solution in itself, it would still help. 

"I have to wrap my head around it and see how this can work for us, because I'm not set up for that now . … I'm only going to have a little bit more room outside," Grant said Friday morning. 

Lamont’s COVID-19 shut down order disrupted the restaurant sector more than any event in living memory, and industry leaders in Connecticut have collectively wondered how they will bounce back.

In Connecticut, about 430,000 people have lost jobs in the past six weeks, and Lamont’s closure orders are responsible for about half the job losses, according to analysis by his advisory group.
 
The CRA has asked state lawmakers for help, including immediate and significant capital injections (in the form of grants, lines of credit, or zero-interest loans); to fund a state-backed business interruption insurance program; and forgive sales tax payments for three months, Dolch said.

Meantime, when it’s time to reopen, restaurants can’t just flip on a lightswitch. They’ll need cash for a lot of upfront costs, like restocking kitchens with food and bars with alcohol and paying workers to prep for opening, among others, Dolch said. 

Added to that, restaurants will likely have to operate under social-distancing guidelines that will require them to host fewer customers indoors than normal.

-- Joe Cooper contributed to this story

-- A CT Mirror report was also used in this story

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1 Comments

Anonymous
May 1, 2020

It's a start,customers will distant themselves
or go some other place if it feels too crowed.

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