Outdoor Dining Authorization Renewed In Stratford

STRATFORD, CT — Mayor Laura R. Hoydick issued an executive order Friday allowing for the continued expansion of outdoor dining accommodations for restaurants and food service establishments in Stratford.

The order immediately went into effect, according to Hoydick.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic restaurants have born an especially large brunt of the economic impact from restrictions put in place to protect public health,” Hoydick said in a statement. “One of the ways we have helped restaurants to continue to have sufficient patrons to maintain operation is to relax restrictions around outdoor dining at their locations. We have worked directly with many of our town’s great restaurants to ensure safe and adequate expansion of their outdoor dining, and we are looking forward to continuing to do so.”

Gov. Ned Lamont lifted capacity restrictions on restaurants and other businesses on Friday and Hoydick said she felt this would additionally help the restaurant community recover from the year-long struggle.

“Many of our restaurants have taken advantage of the ability to institute creative outdoor dining options, and the feedback we have received from them is that it has been an essential for them to get through the pandemic,” she said. “We want to continue to help them any way we can while still adhering to prevailing public health guidance.”

Under provisions of the order outdoor dining is permitted as an accessory use to any location where food or beverages are sold, subject to the expedited municipal approval as authorized through the Viewpoint online permitting process offered by the Town of Stratford and in accordance with Executive Order 7MM, according to a news release.

The authorization will expire on Dec. 31, 2021, unless earlier modified or terminated by the mayor.