State, Local Officials Support the Future of Outdoor Dining

Press Release

Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) will be hosting a luncheon in coordination with Matthew Mandell of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce to promote outdoor dining. Just last week Gov Ned Lamont signed into law “An Act Concerning the Outdoor Sale of Goods and Provision of Food and Beverage Service.”  This extended what had been an executive order allowing municipalities to expand ways to allow outdoor dining in response to the pandemic. 

Joining them outside on Wednesday April 21st at 12:30pm on Railroad Place at Tarantino’s will be First Selectman Jim Marpe, Police Chief Foti Koskinas and State Representative Stephanie Thomas. They will share a meal and discuss ways to continue to support local Westport businesses as we emerge from this health and economic crisis. 

"Our restaurant business has struggled to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic and this wholehearted bipartisan solution will help sustain and support that industry,” said Senator Hwang. “The bill also reflects an effective collaboration between state powers with local municipal shareholders, it understands and emphasizes that local input is essential to effective public policy." 

‘Westport, both the Town and its residents, really stepped up help out the restaurant sector this past year,” said Matthew Mandell, Executive Director of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce. “Expanded outdoor dining was born of necessity and succeeded through ingenuity and may actually become the basis of it working on a more permanent basis.”  

Railroad place restaurants were granted permission to expand into the street, Church Lane, downtown, was closed for seating and tents, domes and other structures popped up all over town creating a new and vibrant dining scene. The goal now is to fine tune all of this and make expanded outdoor dining the norm. 

As the weather might still be chilly at night, you still can “Bring your Own Blanket” and enjoy a wonderful evening of dining out.