Fairfield Restaurants To Reopen With Fewer Tables, More Rules

FAIRFIELD, CT — As the weather warms and summer nears, it’s expected that more people will be eating outdoors. But a table outside is the only kind of table available to restaurant patrons starting Wednesday, as the state begins the first phase of its reopening plan after about two months of widespread closures due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In Fairfield, restaurant owners are preparing to shift from offering solely pickup and delivery to incorporating outdoor service. The change comes with strict rules from the state, including a 50-percent capacity limit, cleaning and disinfection procedures, and required face masks for customers and staff.

“As a business owner, of course I want to get things working as soon as possible, but as a mom, I want to make sure everything is safe,” said Jenna McPartland, owner of The Stand Vegan Café. “… The only thing I really can do at this point is trust our government officials to be looking at the science.”

McPartland is in the process of adjusting to the outdoor-only policy. The Stand has a few benches outside, but no tables. She is working with an engineer to accommodate outdoor table space, despite the restaurant’s close proximity to a parking lot. McPartland hopes to have the tables out within a week, and said the town is waiving much of the normal protocol required for outdoor dining.

“It seems like they really are trying to help businesses, help restaurants, do this,” she said.

Once the tables are in place, McPartland expects they will be full.

“People really, emotionally, need to get out, even if they’re getting out with restrictions,” she said.

Many Fairfield residents have been cooped up at home for months, as non-essential businesses closed and school buildings shuttered in the wake of the virus, which is associated with nearly 3,500 Connecticut deaths. With virus hospitalizations declining, phase 1 of the reopening will include non-essential retailers, offices, museums and zoos, in addition to restaurants.

Bella Sera Ristorante and Flipside Burgers & Bar each already have patio dining, and will be seating customers outside Wednesday. But the owners of both restaurants said they would like to do more.

“If they’re allowing outside seating, why can’t they allow inside seating?” asked Marco Bracaglia, co-owner of Bella Sera.

Bracaglia said he wished the state had permitted restaurants to open sooner.

“Financially, it hurts,” he said.

With the capacity restrictions, Bella Sera will only be able to seat about 10 diners at once. Flipside will have 11 outdoor tables.

“My seating capacity is greatly diminished,” Flipside Owner Michael Baffa said. “… If it rains, I send everybody home.”

Baffa also worried diners might not comply with the new protocol.

“I think a lot of people are going to come and not wear masks,” Baffa said. “… I’m hoping they’ll wear masks … if not, we’ll have to address that.”