Hartford’s Pratt Street closed to traffic for month of October
Move intended to boost restaurants amid pandemic
Since Oct 1, vehicles have been temporarily prohibited on Pratt Street in Hartford to encourage people to walk, bike or utilize a form of transportation other than driving.
“We just want more feet on the street and it doesn’t matter to us in the long run your age group, or anything like that,” said Chip McCabe of the Hartford Business Improvement District. “We just want to see people coming downtown and enjoying downtown and enjoying the restaurants.’’
Since Covid-19, most restaurants have been struggling to keep doors open and cater to the needs of an evolving clientele. “We want it to be a safe space for everyone and we’re hoping that by closing Pratt Street off we can get to create that ,” McCabe said.
The business improvement district hopes to draw more attention to the downtown area and alleviate some parking congestion.
The plan will allow pedestrian-only access to Pratt Street until Oct. 31.
The staff at Vaughan’s Irish Public House, a popular pub that reopened on Sept. 25, is especially excited to see how the change affects business. Erin Sweeney, manager at Vaughan’s, said they were “thrilled with any help that the city will give us. … People coming in are really excited about the idea of outdoor dining.”
Sweeney says while most restaurants have turned to plastic silverware and to-go containers, Vaughan’s Irish Public House has set itself apart by using standard tableware, unless guests request otherwise. “We’re using all of our plates and silverware and really making it feel like even though you aren’t inside, you are dining and that’s an authentic pub experience,” Sweeney said.
William Carbone, owner of Sorella restaurant at 901 Main Street and within walking distance of Pratt Street, says the change is long overdue. “This helps us out tremendously as far as visibility goes and being able to serve lunch outside and not having to have a shortened window at dinner,”
Carbone said. Since the pandemic, business has not been the same for places like Sorella. “Obviously, it’s nothing like it used to be, but we’re surviving, we’re doing OK for the moment and the outside dining has helped tremendously,” Carbone said.
Sorella is known around town for the upscale ambiance and Italian cuisine. Carbone offers meal kits, which can be ordered 24 hours in advance, and made for two or more people. “I think people like having the option to eat outside, especially now, with the weather being what it is,” Carbone added. Carbone plans on offering new meal kits, which feature items from the menu for larger groups of people.
The owners of Vaughan’s Irish Public House and Sorella may also partner with a few other neighboring restaurants to host a night of festivities for locals on Halloween.
“It’s sort of a socially distanced, kind of like a bar crawl for adults for Halloween,” Carbone said. “We’re also trying to work on programming Pratt Street for the remainder of winter, depending on what they do after Halloween.”