Strathmore restaurants move to patio service

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Strathmore is piloting a new program allowing certain restaurants to open temporary patios so they can continue serving food and beverages during the latest COVID-19 restrictions.

Under the town’s temporary outdoor patio pilot project, restaurant owners can submit a free application to obtain a temporary approval for an outdoor patio. The move is intended to help restaurant owners who are challenged with new restrictions on indoor dining, explained Mayor Pat Fule.

“We know with the recent shutdown of restaurants, bars and pubs, business owners are scrambling to recapture the revenue that they’ve lost,” said Fule. “We’re trying to find ways to help those businesses get a portable or temporary patio, and we’re expediting the process.”

To be eligible for the program, a site plan must be provided showing the patio space avoids blocking barrier-free parking spaces, vehicular and pedestrian traffic and stormwater drainage. If town-owned sidewalks and roads are used, then the business must obtain insurance and provide a copy to the town. An inspection by the Strathmore Fire Department must also be performed, among other rules.

The pilot project will continue into the fall, until Nov. 1, 2021. Fule did not confirm whether the town might consider the program again in future years, but it has already brought new perspectives on how town space is used, he said.

“I’m starting to see a couple patios pop up in places I had not considered,” he said. “One business next to a wide sidewalk has recently put in patio seating with tables, but people shopping nearby are still able to walk by. There are lots of opportunities to think outside the box.”

The program could make people keen to sit outside for more of the year, which could ultimately help the bottom line of bars and restaurants, said Fule. “If we can provide more outdoor seating, and more people are getting accustomed to going outside, that could help businesses generate revenue.”

So far, two businesses in town have been approved for temporary patios: the Strathmore Legion and the Strathmore Roadhouse. But other businesses have applied and their applications should be approved soon, said Geoff Person, the town’s communication manager.

The Strathmore Legion already operated a patio in past seasons, but its new permit allows capacity to be increased from 25 to 50 people, by extending the patio into the property’s fenced-in side lawn, explained Allan Auger, branch president. The expansion gives the branch almost the same capacity to do business as what was available inside, he said.

“It allows us to keep our doors open, keep our staff on the payroll, and allows our members and guests a place to go,” said Auger.