Carmel-by-the-Sea reviews outdoor dining survey and future plans

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KION) When the COVID pandemic shut down indoor dining many restaurants turned sidewalks and parking lots into new serving spaces. Adding parklets, tents, and heaters. Though dining restrictions lifted, many like the idea of continuing to enjoy their meal outside, especially with new concerns over the new COVID variant.

A popular city on the Central Coast known for its exquisite dining met on Wednesday afternoon to talk about the possibility of keeping parklets along the streets of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Earlier this summer the city sent out a survey to businesses, restaurants, residents, and non-residents, asking if they were in favor of keeping outdoor dining spaces, the results were mostly positive during the Outdoor Seating Ad Hoc Committee Public Meeting.

That response was echoed. by a group Camel-by-the-Sea residents enjoying a bite to eat. “You can go inside if you want or you can stay outside. So I think it's awesome to have that choice,” said Debbie French. Across the table, Michelle Handel agreed, “I think it's great for the restaurants too because it gives them the added advantage of extra tables, and they have been through so much."

Though the survey tilted more on the positive side, concerns were addressed like noise and residential impacts, pedestrian flow on sidewalks, and limited parking due to loss of spaces from parklets.

“When it first occurred I felt like it was a benefit to the businesses in order for them to stay open. A lot of businesses were struggling because of the COVID. Then it became an issue because of the parking,” said Keith Decker, resident, and actor who mentioned he had mixed feelings.

But one restaurant owner KION spoke with doesn’t think that’s the case. "People have plenty of parking and this is what only four spots it takes up and we get ten to twelve tables out of it,” Connor Broderick, a server at Enzo Ristorante Italiano. Owner Enzo chimed in, “Two spots.”

The decision now turns to how to keep some form of outdoor dining available, especially if mass mandates enforce restaurants to go back to less than 100% occupy inside. The survey had three different types of outdoor dining models that would work with the cities sidewalks and streets.

The plans are still under review, and at this time are not limited. Many, though, agreed outdoor dining enhanced the overall ambiance.