Iconic Eatery Gets Help In Reopening From State Of Connecticut

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the Connecticut Department of Transportation has approved a permit for Mystic Pizza to use a state highway right-of-way to add outdoor dining as the restaurant makes efforts to comply with the requirements of phase 1 of Connecticut’s reopening plans amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The restaurant, located at 56 West Main Street in Mystic, is the first business to be issued a permit of this kind from the state. It was approved to add tables in the front of the building near the doorways and on the sidewalk.

In case you forgot Mystic Pizza helped inspire the movie "Mystic Pizza," a 1988 film. According to IMDB, writer Amy Jones was vacationing in Mystic, saw the pizza restaurant and was inspired to write the script. Julia Roberts starred in the movie.

Phase 1 of the reopening plans began on May 20 and permits restaurants, which previously were required to limit their sales to take-out and delivery services only, to expand their operations to outdoor dining while also following a series of sector rules. To help businesses that do not have outdoor space available, Lamont signed an executive order last week (Executive Order No. 7MM) that initiates the creation of an expedited process to allow restaurants, retailers, and other small businesses to use sidewalks or other areas that are in the state’s right-of-way.

“We want to do our best to partner with businesses to make any adjustments we can to help commercial operations resume while also maintaining the necessary health standards that will keep customers and employees protected,” Lamont said. “This is going to require some creative modifications that we’ve never had to do before, but working together we can find solutions to many of these obstacles.”

The executive order also creates an expedited process for municipal governments to make similar adjustments on their end. The governor said that he is pleased to hear reports of several towns and cities that are taking advantage of the executive order and are working with area businesses to expand their outdoor operations.