West Hartford Center Restaurants Take On Cold Weather Challenges

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Restaurants in West Hartford are facing new challenges with the removal of special outdoor seating and colder weather looming.

West Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart said the barriers and outdoor tables set up in June had to be taken down to make snow removal easier.

It's something local restaurant owners were dreading, but also knew was coming.

"The weather's getting colder and it's a change in business we expected," said Miguel Proano, one of the owners of Blue Plate Kitchen. "We're facing less people wanting to dine outdoors and less availability of seating outdoors. But we're going to do what we do and so are other restaurateurs."

Public Works crews Monday began removing the outdoor dining barriers and tables from LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue and the project was to be finished by the end of the day. By the end of Tuesday the barriers and tables Isham Road are to be removed.

The Town will restore Farmington Avenue, Isham Road, and Memorial Road to the original traffic pattern with parallel on-street parking. Once the barriers are removed, the pavement markings will be re-painted, Hart said.

"The new traffic pattern on LaSalle Road has been well received and will remain one-way
traffic flow northbound," Hart said. "The new plan will look very similar to the present traffic pattern with two new additions — a bike lane on each side of the road and new head-out angled
parking from Ellsworth Road to Arapahoe Road."

Proano said takeout orders would certainly be am emphasis.

"And they've worked well," he said. "People have been very responsive (during the coronavirus pandemic)."

Hart said the town will continue to offer free, 15 to 30-minute free parking for curbside pick-up and take-out orders at 33 locations on LaSalle Road, South Main Street, Farmington Avenue, Memorial Road, and Isham Road.

"Our parking lot kiosks will continue to allow 30-minute free parking. Shoppers, diners, clients and employees are asked to use the municipal lots and parking garages when their stay is longer than 30 minutes," he said. "The Town of West Hartford will continue to support businesses during the winter months so that they can continue to serve their customers when the dining corrals are removed.

"Restaurants that have existing, previously approved outdoor dining areas may request to have those spaces covered and heated by submitting a request the zoning office. Restaurants will have the ability to fully enclose their outdoor dining area with a temporary structure. Covering and heating the outdoor dining space would expand the restaurant's available indoor seating areas while still maintaining the required distancing between tables and staying under the 50 percent capacity threshold."

Proano said Blue Plate's outdoor seating of 15-to-18 tables just abut doubled capacity. Even if covered and heated, a wind-wept cold day in the Connecticut winter could prompt diners to go inside.

"And then where we have to give diners the confidence that we are doing it right," Proano said. "We want to make sure we are offering a clean, safe environments that takes into account all precautions. I want out customers to have that comfort level."

Hart wants to repeat the process when the weather gets warmer.

"The on-street dining corrals this past summer was an experiment that proved to be very
successful for everyone," he said. "Restaurants reported record number of diners were served from June to September. The success of the outdoor dining corrals was the result of the creative collaboration between the town of West Hartford and the restaurateurs who have taken these areas and turned them into garden alcoves with beautiful planters, potted trees, umbrellas,
lighting, and furniture. They essentially took a blank slate and turned it into a work of
art, which, along with their amazing cuisine, is the reason why customers have returned
again and again to enjoy the al fresco ambience."

Hart said in order to replicate the on-street dining model next summer, a few steps that need to be taken first.

"Assuming that the Governor’s Executive Order expires, the town would no longer have the authority to place structures in the road without a zoning change," he said. "It is our hope to obtain a zoning change to allow for seasonal on-street dining on a permanent basis."

This article originally appeared on the West Hartford Patch