The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘CREATIVITY AND COMMON SENSE’
Connecticut restaurants, regulators weigh reopening
Matt Storch won a national audience in 2018 for his creativity and quickthinking in winning Food Network’s “Chopped” cooking competition show.
Like other Connecticut restaurateurs, he is needing both traits as cities and towns scramble to stamp permits that will allow eateries to reopen starting May 20.
On Wednesday, Connecticut’s state building inspector Joseph Cassidy and fire marshal William Abbott issued guidance for municipalities fielding queries from restaurant owners, indicating a willingness to bend with the situation so long as diner and staff safety is not compromised.
“We are sure you going to see some very creative ideas which will challenge the limits of the (building) code,” Abbott and Cassidy stated. “These situations will require an equal amount of creativity and common sense to help make sure these areas are safe for patrons and staff without preventing these establishments from operating. We need to keep in mind we are dealing with people who are struggling to keep their businesses going and are reacting in the moment just as we are.”
Gov. Ned Lamont’s Reopen Connecticut committee published initial guidance for restaurants only last Saturday, at that point outlining steps to limit the chances of coronavirus transmission such as spacing tables six feet apart, requiring masks for patrons until seated and relying on disposable menus and table wares.
Lamont’s newest executive order, on Tuesday night, gave municipalities a set of marching orders for encouraging restaurants to resume service. They included allowing seating in public parking spaces to increase the size of outdoor dining areas, and allowing restaurants to share lots, yards or street fronts, with permission from owners, provided the locale is zoned for commercial use.
“We have to figure out what we’re doing (and) the restaurateurs have been trying to figure this out,” said Jeremy Ginsberg, Darien’s director of planning and zoning. “What we are telling them is get us a quick sketch — once we approve it, we can figure out what the next steps are.”
‘A tough business to begin with’
Storch is confident he will open Match Burger Lobster for outside dining in Westport on Wednesday, given a parking lot it shares with Fleishers Craft Butchery that will allow for additional space for tables. He is still up in the air on Match in South Norwalk, however, as he awaits a city determination on how traffic will be handled on Washington Street given its narrow sidewalks.
Lamont’s order includes allowances for road closures to accommodate outdoor dining. Pedestrians must have six feet of leeway from any table areas, limiting restaurants from setting up tables on many sidewalks.
“With six-foot spacing, maybe we get one or two tables out there,” Storch said Thursday. “If we have the entire sidewalk, it almost makes it worth it.”
Storch said that he otherwise expects to be able to get restaurants operational in a short period of time, having steered staff to online training on precautions for preparing and serving food during the pandemic, and having arranged shipments of perishable food, protective gear, disposable wares and other needed items.
Greybarns has approval to open for outdoor service in the Silvermine section of Norwalk, though owner Andy Glazer said the restaurant for the time being plans to continue serving on a takeout basis, with customers welcome to eat at tables. He is hopeful to see indoor service resume in early June, the window members of the Connecticut Restaurant Association have been asking the governor to consider.
“It makes very little sense business-wise to do a whole service outside when weather ... leaves little guarantee for real business,” Glazer said. “We are all spending considerable funds to retrofit our spaces for the new protocols. This is a tough business to begin with and it will be that much tougher given new guidelines but we all understand the necessity of installing safeguards for our staff and the public.”
Jackie Lightfield, who carries the titles of chief problem solver for Norwalk 2.0 and who was the longtime executive director of the Stamford Partnership, questioned whether establishments will be able to complete all the tasks they need to prior to the May 20 opening date authorized by Lamont.
“They’re still trying to figure out the takeout game and rethink what the pivot for their restaurant needs to be,” Lightfield said.
Waiters may serve alcoholic drinks, but establishments will not be able to set up bars outside, with Darien’s Ginsberg saying he has already had to turn down one such request. Municipalities are allowed to consider requests for live entertainment at any temporary dining areas.
The governor is giving municipalities 10 days to notify restaurants of decisions on their applications; any failure to act on an application by local officials “shall be deemed to be an approval of the application” in the words of Lamont’s executive order. Appeals for any denials will be handled by the municipality, with Lamont’s order providing no avenue for further appeal to a state agency.
“I’m getting the sense from the local municipalities that they are absolutely willing to work with these restaurants,” said PJ Prunty, CEO of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce. “They understand that they’ve been either closed completely or operating at significantly reduced (service) and ... they understand there is a need for flexibility in terms of how they will be operating.”
Paul Schott contributed to this report. Includes prior reporting by Ken Dixon, Kaitlyn Krasselt and Ed Stannard.