Hungry Betty's Outdoor Seating Will Have to Wait

At their meeting Tuesday night, members of the town's Zoning Board of Appeals told owner Patty Johnson that they would need more information before approving outdoor seating for 20.

Several neighbors also attended the meeting to sound off against the request, arguing that five outdoor tables may generate too much noise late at night and may attract local teens known to loiter in the area.

The idea, Johnson said, was to offer her customers the option of dining at five tables lined up along the railing outside of her second-tier Village Plaza restaurant. The tables, she said, would be roped off and wouldn't impede with the flow of traffic to nearby businesses, including a nail salon next door.

"People would be able to flow right through all the time," Johnson said. "The flow of traffic would be kept right in front of the glass there."

Johnson's proposal requested permission for the tables for as long as the restaurant is open, which is typically 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Concerns voiced by board members included whether or not there would be enough space between the restaurant's opened front door and the roped of area and whether or not Johnson was asking for a special permit or a variance. Information Johnson said she would have prepared for the next hearing on Sept. 27.

In response to those who opposed the request, Johnson said "I’m not the only establishment at Village Plaza that gets out late and there is supposed to be no loitering and I call the cops all the time on the kids who hang out there."