WESTPORT–Caterer, restaurateur and event planner Nikki Glekas received the final approval Thursday to run concessions at three town sites, just in time to open the Compo Beach stand for Memorial Day weekend.

The contract, which was approved unanimously by the Board of Selectmen in a special afternoon meeting, also gives Glekas concessions at Longshore Pavilion and the Halfway House at Longshore Golf Course.

“We’re thrilled to have you here,” Selectwoman Amy Wistreich told Glekas at the meeting. “We can’t wait to visit you down there promote it and see all the happy Westporters enjoying your business.”

The vote follows two approvals earlier this month from the Board of Finance and the Planning and Zoning Commission. 

“I really wanted to bring a sense of community back to the town,” Glekas told the Board of Selectmen, adding that she wanted to create the “sense of a place for everybody to go and hang out.”

She is readying salads, smashburgers, fried shrimp, chicken tenders and more. She is also looking forward to adding a personal touch.

“People will see me at the beach,” she said. “I will come and talk to everybody.”

“I love the focus on community and high quality,” First Selectman Kevin Christie said. “I have heard you in action at our other meetings, and your passion for the opportunity is inspiring, and I think it’s very exciting.”

Glekas, doing business as NG Entertainment, was one of three vendors who took part in a mandatory exploratory walkthrough of the sites as part of the competition for the contract, and was one of two vendors who submitted bids that were opened March 27.

Director of Parks and Recreation Erik Barbieri said Glekas’s proposal was chosen because of her extensive relevant experience, the quality of her service and food, and because she proposed higher rent payments.

Glekas also owns the Nikki Glekas Collective, a group of restaurants, concessions and catering services, including four establishments at Chelsea Piers Connecticut in Stamford, and the summertime Beach Grill concession at Weed Beach in Darien.

Westport’s selection process was expedited to sign a contract in time for Memorial Day weekend after the town bought out the contract of the previous vendor, Hook’d on the Sound earlier this year because of complaints about the service.

The agreement lasts through Nov. 15, 2029, with two options to extend it by two years each time at the town’s discretion.

The rent will be $4,166.50 for next month, increasing to $8,333 per month until May 2027. The monthly rent for the following year will be $9,166, increasing subsequently to $10,000 per month through October 2029. For the first half of November 2029, the rent will be $5,000.

Former Representative Town Meeting member Sal Liccione, the only member of the public to speak at the meeting, called Glekas’s selection “just a wonderful thing for the whole town.”

Selectman Don O’Day complimented Barbieri for leading and completing the selection process in time for the unofficial start of summer.

“You had virtually no time to make this happen and yet, you did,” he said. “Great job. It’s terrific that you have somebody of Nikki’s caliber ready to go for Westport.”