Date Set For Start Of Outdoor Dining Season In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich residents can begin to think about warmer days ahead and dining alfresco, as the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved outdoor dining guidelines for 2025 on Monday.

The season this year will run for about 128 days, down from 186 last year, from Monday, May 26, through Sunday, Oct. 19.

A byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, First Selectman Fred Camillo has said people have come to love outdoor dining, but as soon as November hits, usage seems to decrease because of the weather.

The season has gradually decreased in the years since 2020, except for a bump up to 199 days in 2023. Camillo has said the town can adjust if there's good weather in the fall or if demand calls for more days.

Due to the cost the town incurs to put the concrete barriers in place for outdoor dining, the barrier fee per linear foot will increase from $29 last year to the full $47 this year. During the Board's first read of the guidelines earlier this month, the selectmen considered a barrier fee of $35.

Saying she felt the town was underpricing outdoor dining, Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan asked Town Administrator Kate Buch to find out what the average cost per restaurant would be if the town increased the barrier fee to $47.

On Monday, Buch reported back that that average cost will be $6,531, compared to $5,994 under the $35 fee.

"It's not a huge difference, it's just trying to be a little bit more fair and cognizant of everybody that's paying rent there [on Greenwich Avenue]," Camillo said.

Because of the shorter season for 2025, the average cost is still less than last year when restaurants paid an average of $7,732.

Stone McGuigan said the town needs to find the right balance between offering outdoor dining and making sure there's enough parking spaces along Greenwich Avenue, "because some helps everybody, but too much hurts everybody."

She also said Monday she'd like to see enforcement of outdoor dining guidelines. There have been past complaints about leaving enough sidewalk space, among other issues.

"I was thinking we need to perhaps, among the direct costs, besides the foregone parking fees and the installation of the barriers, we probably should have some assignment in that cost for enforcement, whatever that enforcement is," she said.

Buch said she'd speak with other town departments, like police, the Health Department and Planning & Zoning, to find out more information and data on past experiences with infractions and what can be done for future outdoor dining seasons.

Camillo said the town can look at what other nearby municipalities are doing.