Dundalk gets cosmopolitan look with al fresco dining
‘I’LL meet you at the parklet’ is about to become a common phase in Dundalk as the first of a series of parklets or outdoor seating areas was revealed outside 23 Seats cafe on Crowe Street at the weekend.
Other parklets will be rolled out around the town centre in a joint project by Dundalk BIDS and Louth County Council to provide outdoor seating areas for restaurants and coffee shops which don’t have existing space to create an al fresco dining area during this COVID-19 era.
‘I didn’t make up the name,’ says Town Centre Commercial Manager Martin McElligott when questioned about title for the attractive looking space. ‘It’s what they are called and there are different varieties around the world.’
Martin explains that ‘in this COVID world, we recognise some of the difficulties which the restrictions have created for restaurants and coffee shops, especially those with limited seating and no space outside.’
He also points to the importance of coffee shops and restaurants in bringing footfall in the town centre, with people often choosing to meet somewhere for a coffee or a meal befwore going on to do some shopping nearby.
23 Seats was chosen as the pilot for the scheme as its capacity of twenty-three seats was halved by the social distancing regulations.
‘We will see how it goes, how much it is used and how well it is looked after before proceeding with another four or five around the town centre,’ continued Martin.
‘COVID-19 is not going away. We have just come out of lockdown and we need to take precautions to protect trade in the town centre and also to ensure that people feel safe to come here for shopping or dining.’
Alan Graham of 23 Seats said they were ‘absolutely delighted’ with the initiative and were ‘very happy to be the guinea pigs’, with the parklet already proving popular with customers.
‘Everything we do, from the SEEK mural festival to things like this, is designed to make Dundalk that bit different,’ added Martin.