City Council moves to support outdoor dining

By AUBREY HAWKE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer

The City Council last week took action in favor of a resolution “in support of outside dining in Waltham.” This resolution is designed to facilitate a straightforward and consistent system of government guidelines for restaurants with outdoor dining areas. 

Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris explained at the Jan. 13 meeting that Waltham’s current rules only allow restaurants to have outdoor dining space in front of their own storefront. But some Waltham restaurants and their neighboring businesses want that space extended. 

Harris explained that with permission from landlords and neighboring businesses, some restaurants, such as Moody Street’s Tempo and 781 Bistro, have extended their outdoor dining spaces. Harris said this also benefits neighboring businesses by increasing the number of prospective shoppers looking at their business. 

Ward 9 Councilor Robert G. Logan, who co-signed the resolution with Harris, emphasized its importance in supporting Moody Street restaurants while the Moody Street Pedestrian Plan is in limbo. 

Logan said he doesn’t know what the permanent plan for Moody Street will be, but he does know it won’t be in place this year.

Logan said that last year’s version of the resolution came about at the last minute, and this caused issues for businesses. 

“Last year, everything didn’t get in place until the last minute. So even as a lot of restaurants were setting up their outdoor dining, they still weren’t sure what the rules were,” Logan said at last week’s meeting. 

Erin Barnicle, who owns Tempo, which has been on Moody Street since 2005, shared her experience with this last-minute issue. 

“While we appreciate the effort made by the city and city departments to make it happen every season, it is always down to the wire and with changing guidelines and expectations. There is no question we appreciate the opportunity for our business and our diners, but we would welcome the opportunity for decisions to be made sooner,” Barnicle wrote in an email to The Waltham Times. 

At the council meeting Logan said, “It’s very important for the restaurants to know well in advance exactly what we’re going to do this year and what the rules and the guidelines are going to be so that they can start getting prepared now.” 

Barnicle said the last-minute solutions and guidelines that have come about in previous years have been stressful as a business owner. 

“After 20 years our guests expect us to go above and beyond, and we never want to disappoint. Outdoor dining season also means guests are choosing a restaurant based on how we have prepared, designed and built our space. Just simply choosing by what they see. Every extra day of planning is critical,” wrote Barnicle. 

Council members said they hope to have this ordinance amendment in place before outdoor dining season arrives. The resolution next goes to the Ordinances and Rules Committee for further discussion and action. The resolution is expected to be discussed at that committee’s Jan. 21 meeting.

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