By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — Outdoor dining, long popular in Westport became a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since the lockdown dining al fresco has become a “fixe” feature across the local culinary landscape.

Outdoor tables, chairs, tents and awnings have popped up at all sorts of dining venues around town, including on Church Lane, the Post Road, Main Street and in Saugatuck.

To better regulate outdoor dining, the town has codified and updated regulations for “pop-up” dining in Westport, which were approved by the Board of Selectwomen on Wednesday.

The new regulations update the Pop-Up Café Guidelines originally approved in 2012, according to Eileen Francis, the selectwomen’s administrative assistant, who worked on the project with Assistant Town Attorney Eileen Lavigne Flug.

The new guidelines are specific, outlining where outdoor pop-ups can be located; how they must be constructed and maintained, and setting specific rules on permitted dates of operation and enforcement policies. 

The updated guidelines also explain the process for applying for a pop-up dining permit.

Flug said the amended guidelines include updated safety and fire regulations from the Department of Public Works and the fire marshal, and a requirement that business or residential neighbors within 250 feet of a proposed pop-up café be notified of an application.

“We’ve had a lot of experience with pop-up dining, and people really like it,” she said.

The updated guidelines include:

• Pop-up dining permits are valid from April 1 through Nov. 1 of each year, and chairs and tables are allowed in the outside area only during that time.
• Hours of operation for pop-ups are 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 6:30 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Music is not allowed after 9 p.m. and amplified outdoor music is never allowed. 
• Only restaurants or retail food establishments with a valid food service permit from the Aspetuck Health District may apply for a pop-up permit.
• Animals are not allowed in pop-ups, except for service animals.

The complete pop-up guidelines will be posted on the Board of Selectwomen’s website.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and currently teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.