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September 2, 2020

City boasts more outdoor dining space, promenades

The Orange Street Promenade before the lunch rush on Wednesday.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

To help boost business for city restaurants and shops, New Haven has expanded its outdoor space by creating new “promenades.”

While the state is allowing indoor dining at reduced capacity, many restaurant patrons prefer to sit outdoors to reduce the possibility of catching the coronavirus.

City officials in recent weeks have worked with the business community to create the Orange and College Street Promenades. They closed lanes and sections of streets to create more room for outdoor dining and to make it more enjoyable for pedestrians and shoppers.

The Promenades feature not only outdoor seating away from traffic, but colorful markings on the pavement and decorative planters.

On Tuesday, Mayor Justin Elicker hosted a walking tour of one of the promenades, in the 9th Square District, the Orange Street Promenade.

Elicker called it a “beautiful outdoor space” where residents and visitors can safely enjoy shopping and dining.

“These businesses drive our economy, and it’s important to provide them with resources to rehire their staff and relaunch their businesses,” Elicker said. 

Restaurants and retail businesses along the Orange Street Promenade include Somos Handcrafted Arepas, Life Bowls, Skappo, Pho Thai, Lezeez, Elm City Games and Barcade. 

Brothers Andres and Alejandro Cordido just opened their new restaurant, Somos Handcrafted Arepas at 63 Orange St., a couple of months ago.

Andres Cordido said it is nice to have outdoor seating during the pandemic, since indoor dining is restricted to 50 percent.

“It has been phenomenal so far,” Andres Cordido said of the Promenade outside their business. “It’s been great for us, with a lot of people coming in. At lunchtime and during the weekends, we have a lot of customers, so being able to have people outside really helps.”

Andres and Alejandro Cordido, co-owners of Somos Handcrafted Arepas at 63 Orange St., say the Promenade has helped boost business.

Chongee Leroux, owner of Pho Thai, also praised the project.

“People have been coming around more,” she said.

The Orange Street Promenade is on Orange Street, between Center and Crown, and the College Street Promenade is between Chapel and Crown. The College Street Promenade includes The Anchor Spa, Be Natural Kitchen, The Owl Shop, Elm City Social, South Bay and Pacifico.

City officials said they wanted to help restaurants and shops expand their capacity and safely host more customers.

Various agencies and businesses contributed to the effort. Avangrid Inc., the Orange-based utility company, provided $20,000 in grant money. The New Haven Innovation Collaboration provided a matching grant to the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven. The EDC awarded $40,000 in micro-grants to restaurants and shops around the city to create safe outdoor dining and retail spaces.

Restaurant and shop owners can use the grant money to buy plastic barriers, ramps and signage to set up outdoor spaces. The funds are also being used toward an art program for decorations.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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