Outdoor Dining under the Sun
Today’s sunshine made for a beautiful afternoon lunch on the sidewalk at Rye Ridge Deli.
Manna Toast Receives DoorDash Relief Funds
The Hartford Courant reports that Westport’s Manna Toast was awarded DoorDash Relief Funds through their COVID-19 grant program this month. The program assisted 91 other Connecticut restaurants in keeping their doors open when social distancing and winter temperatures hinder their ability to seat customers.
92 struggling Connecticut restaurants to receive DoorDash relief funds
By Kaitlin McCallum From the Hartford Courant, 03/11/21Ninety-two Connecticut restaurants, from a handful of Subways to Hartford’s Black-Eyed Sally’s and the North House in Avon, will receive $5,000 grants through the Connecticut Restaurant Relief Fund to help restaurants keep their doors open during the coronavirus pandemic. The funds, through DoorDash’s Main Street Strong effort, can be used to cover covid-related expenses like PPE and expansion of outdoor dining, as well as operating costs like rent and payroll.
“The restaurant industry has been hit so hard over the past year, and it’s critical we save as many local restaurants as possible so they can be part of Connecticut’s post-COVID economic recovery,” said Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association in a release Thursday.
In January, DoorDash, which delivers food from nearly 700 restaurants in the Hartford area, announced a $500,000 donation to the fund, and the Connecticut Restaurant Association later called for private and corporate donations to meet the overwhelming need.
Just three days after the fund began taking applications, more than 570 restaurants had applied.
“I would love to give out grants to everyone that’s eligible, and for that we’d need $5 million, not half a million,” Dolch said at the time.
Dolch said checks will be sent to the restaurants next week, “exactly one year from the state-mandated shutdown of in-person dining,” that began a wave of layoffs and restaurant closures.
Though Gov. Ned Lamont last week lifted the capacity restrictions on indoor dining, the 6-foot social distancing requirement means many smaller places will remain limited. More than 100 restaurants that didn’t officially close are in hibernation until warm weather returns and the vaccine rollout boosts consumer confidence. An 11 p.m. curfew that remains in place has also taken a toll.
According to the CRA release, the restaurants selected to receive the grant are spread across the state and are among Connecticut’s hardest hit.
On the Fields Again: PAL Youth Lacrosse Season Begins over Weekend
The Westport Police Athletic League (PAL) youth lacrosse season began this past weekend with 5-8th graders hitting the fields for the 2021 tryouts. Grades 3-4 will begin next weekend, with 1-2 grades and kindergarten beginning in the weeks following, respectively. After the 2020 Spring season was scrapped due to the pandemic, many were excited to be back on the field - lax sticks in-hand.
The 2021 season will feature about 300 boys, according to PAL Boys Lacrosse President Dan Clark, with registration still open for all ages of boys who wish to join. Although tryouts are held, no boy will ever be “cut” from a team, but placed with the team that best meets their abilities, according to their website.
Westport PAL began in 1948 and offers several sports for local boys and girls, as well as scholarship opportunities and local community events. Westport Youth Lacrosse joined the WPAL umbrella over 20 years ago and has continued the tradition of lacrosse for generations of young Westporters.
To learn more about Westport PAL or to register for lacrosse, or other sports, visit their website westportpal.org
Manhattan Skyline Seen from Beachside Avenue
With clear skies and low temperatures, the Manhattan and upper New York City skyline was visible to passersby along Beachside Avenue this afternoon.