Outdoor dining was a savior for downtown restaurants during the pandemic, attracting patrons who didn’t want to eat indoors because of Covid and bringing a lively spirit to the district during otherwise bleak times. Many thought it was here to stay.
Apparently not.
Five years later, not a single business will offer outdoor dining in town-built parklets this summer. Developer Rick Vayo, president of the Downtown Waterfront District, says the Select Board’s decision in March to stop subsidizing outdoor setups has made al fresco dining too expensive for restaurants.
“It kind of got dissolved for the most part when it went before the [Select Board] and there wasn’t going to be funding to support that,” he said, “and I think most businesses backed away.”
Vayo said that before officials decided against using town funds to help defray the cost, six to eight restaurants had planned to apply for outdoor seating. Once it pulled the plug on support, only one restaurant, Su Casa, applied. Since then, the Main Street restaurant, known for its “modern Baja cuisine,” has permanently closed.
This year, the Select Board decided to charge $2,400 to set up parklets for restaurants that participated in the program last year, and $4,175 for businesses joining the program for the first time. That compares with last year’s fees of $1,000 for renewals and $2,900 for newcomers.
The higher costs – on top of rising menu prices, persistent labor problems, and consumers’ increasing worries about a turbulent economy – came at a bad time for restaurants.
“Unfortunately, as a small business we just can’t afford the $2,400 price tag to do outdoor dining,” said Katy Thayer, co-owner of Uva Wine Bar, in an email. “Restaurants in Plymouth and beyond are struggling right now. People are not going out as often as they used to.”
Thayer said food and staffing costs are higher than they have ever been, and that restaurants are also facing the uncertainty of steep tariffs. Those added fees could make imported products, such as wine and even some equipment and parts, more expensive.
“It’s just not in the budget to offer seating with an additional cost,” Thayer said.
With all that in mind, the demise of outdoor dining on Main and Court streets shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Restaurants’ interest in it has waned over the years, said Vayo, who headed the initiative to offer outdoor dining during the pandemic. It began with 14 businesses in 2021. Two years ago, nine restaurants offered outdoor dining, and last year just six participated.
As the pandemic eased, there were complaints from some quarters about public funding being used to prop up private businesses, as well as the number of parking spots lost to the parklets.
Restaurants, however, can still apply for sidewalk tables – at $100 for a table of four. At least one restaurant, Uva wine bar, has done so.
“We opted to have three tables on the sidewalk because the cost was $300 and we felt that we could swing that,” Thayer said.
Two other restaurants that in past years featured outdoor dining did not respond to requests for comment.
But Vayo isn’t giving up on outdoor dining downtown as a long-term proposition. He predicted a resurgence in the not so distant future, once a planned redevelopment of Main and Court streets is completed, including wider sidewalks in some areas.
“It’s really sad to see the end of outdoor dining in Plymouth,” Thayer said. “We feel it benefited the whole downtown area to have the vibe that other towns like Newport, Portsmouth and Portland have. Customers really liked it, and it was a draw for the non-waterfront businesses that don’t typically see an influx of tourists during the summer months.”
For now, diners who want to eat outside can patronize the patio at Anejo, the popular Mexican restaurant that last year opened in the old Main Street fire station space long occupied by Sam Diego’s. Or they can head to the waterfront, where there are multiple options. That contrast between restaurants with seating that affords water views and those a block up from the harbor could make this summer an especially challenging one for businesses along the downtown strip.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org.