RESTAURANTS
operations four to five months ago,” Lake said. “I’m going above and beyond to make sure everything is safe and done right.”
A number of local officials and community leaders in southwestern Connecticut are trying to take advantage of the temperate weather to encourage more outdoor dining.
In Stamford, the Downtown Special Services District launched last Saturday its Streateries program, which closed several streets in the city center to traffic from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. that day to allow restaurants to set up dining tables in parking spaces.
Greek restaurant Kouzina, on Main Street, is among the establishments planning to join the roster of those doing street dining. That option would allow Kouzina to more than double its outdoor seating capacity.
“If we only had the seating with what’s permitted on the sidewalk, it wouldn’t be enough,” said Kouzina co-owner Peter Valis. “The expanded patio is crucial.”
Working with the city, the DSSD aims to fully implement Streateries in the second half of June and run it through September. The expanded al fresco seating could include transforming part of the parking lot beside the Bedford Street garage into a weekend dining piazza.
At the same time, many restaurant and café owners are taking a gradual approach to sit-down service.
In the past three months, Source Coffeehouse in the
Black Rock section of Bridgeport has offset the loss of on-premises dining with strong demand for curbside pickups.
The establishment plans to reopen its patio later this month, but it is in no rush to resume indoor seating. “We are so pleased and grateful with how well it’s gone for us,” said Source owner Courtney Hartl. “Our community has been really supportive and receptive. We’ve had people who’ve come out every single day, for months.”