Greenwich Outdoor Dining Season Could Be Shorter In 2025

GREENWICH, CT — The outdoor dining season in Greenwich this year is proposed to be shorter than 2024, according to guidelines under review by the Board of Selectmen.

Town Administrator Kate Buch went before the selectmen this week to present the proposed 2025 outdoor dining guidelines. No action was taken, and the board is expected to revisit the item in two weeks.

The season would run for 128 days from May 23 through Oct. 19, down from 186 in 2024, and 199 in 2023.

Due to the cost the town incurs to put the concrete barriers in place for outdoor dining, the barrier fee per linear foot is proposed to be increased from $29 last year to $35 this year.

"We have not proposed going up to the full cost at this time, because that would be a significant jump. We're trying to do that in phases," Buch said of the barrier fees.

To fully cover the cost of the barriers and installation/removal fees, a fee of $47 per linear foot would be needed, Buch noted.

Because of the proposed shortened season, the total cost per restaurant to participate in outdoor dining this year has decreased, from $7,732 in 2024 to an estimated cost of $5,994 in 2025.

Here is a breakdown of how the fees have looked since 2021:

A byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, First Selectman 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.

"If something changes and it's a very warm fall, we may get people asking next year to amend it again, which is fine. But I think we said we'd monitor it every year and I this is just in keeping with the spirit of that," Camillo said.

Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan said the town is trying to find a balance between offering outdoor dining along Greenwich Avenue and keeping parking available for other businesses.

"We want to be fair to both the restaurants and the other businesses on Greenwich Avenue. We don't want to kill the golden goose. We don't want to provide so much outdoor dining that there isn't parking to then allow for diners to access these restaurants. We're always trying to find a balance," she said.

In 2024, the town collected a total of $131,437 in fees from 17 restaurants.

Stone McGuigan said she's not looking at outdoor dining as a revenue generator for the town, but she does "want to get it priced right so that we know we've got the right amount of dining."

"I think in the past we've pointed out that we're under-pricing. The fact that we're only charging restaurants the foregone parking meter fees, that definitely is not market value of what these areas are worth to the restaurants," she said. "I think as Fred pointed out, we've kind of incrementally shortened this season. This is an iterative process. We're trying to figure out from one season to the next what the right answer is."

Stone McGuigan asked Buch for fee numbers if the full $47 barrier fee was implemented. Buch said she'd look into it and have more information at the next selectmen meeting.

Rabin said the total fee per restaurant would probably only be a couple of hundred dollars more as a result.

Last year, Greenwich had a competition for designs to decorate the concrete barriers, but the town is moving in a different direction for 2025.

In order to have consistency and to make installation easier for the Department of Public Works, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin said wooden flower boxes could be used.

Camillo said John Conte, a local landscape architect, would be willing to help with the initiative.

"I think that's something we should really focus on this year. If we can do that, that would enhance the aesthetics of the Avenue," Camillo said.