Waltham restaurant owners outraged by new outdoor dining limits
WALTHAM — The city of Waltham has imposed new restrictions on outdoor dining on Moody Street, upsetting restaurant owners.
Outdoor dining became a vital lifeline for restaurants during the pandemic. But this summer is proving to bring changes to some communities who grew used to al fresco dining.
In Boston, restaurants in the North End were notified this year that outdoor dining would not be allowed. The move from City Hall makes them the only neighborhood in the city with such a restriction.
In Waltham, the city has announced changes to its popular outdoor dining program. Those changes are not sitting well with restaurant owners who spent tens of thousands of dollars to buy the required outdoor dining setups in years past.
This week, the city started accepting permits for outdoor dining along Moody Street.
The outdoor dining season will run from May through September 25. But this year, outdoor dining will only be allowed Thursday evening to Monday at 5 a.m. Three-and-a-half days on, and three-and-a-half days off.
"Our frustration is the uncertainty and the lack of clarity of what is actually happening this season," said Erin Barnicle owner of Tempo, along Moody Street.
In previous years, the city had closed Waltham to traffic on Moody Street for outdoor dining. The plan announced in previous weeks will also close traffic, but only on the Thursday evening, through Monday morning, timeline.
The new city rules do not allow restaurants to utilize their outdoor spaces Monday – Thursday morning.
"To have that beautiful patio there, with guests who want to sit on it, then us having to explain that potentially they can't, sort of becomes a PR nightmare," said Barnicle.
Tim Burke owner of In A Pickle, said last year the city required an 18-foot gap for emergency vehicles to go up and down the street. This year the city is planning to use a 24-foot gap, which when paired with sidewalk space mandates, cuts his outdoor dining space in half.
"We went from really lazy summers to we have to add extra staff," said Burke.
These restaurant owners said they expressed their concerns to the city. Despite that, the Mayor's Office said in a statement to WBZ-TV on Friday that they had not received any complaints since announcing the revisions.
"I did receive thanks from some of the other business owners for being fair with the recommendation for 3 ½ days open and 3 ½ days closed," said Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy.
