PROVIDENCE – The Federal Hill Commerce Association last week approved a reduction to Al Fresco on the Hill outdoor dining for the upcoming season, limiting the closure of a portion of Atwells Avenue to Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
At the end of the outdoor dining initiative last year, which closed Atwells to traffic from Dean to Lilly streets on Fridays and Saturdays from May to the beginning of October, the association’s board of directors, after receiving feedback from its members, voted to trim down the scope in 2023, citing the exorbitant costs, traffic and the time and effort associated with planning the event.
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The initiative began in 2020 and is funded by the FHCA budget, including grants, sponsorships and member dues. Participating restaurants are also assessed a fee based on the total costs, said FHCA President, Rick Simone.
To receive approval for the weekend events, the association must first receive permits from four different city departments. There are also insurance equipment costs, entertainment, marketing and staffing. Last year’s bill for police details alone was $71,000, said Simone.
After deciding to end the Friday night events at the close of last year’s season, Simone said board members were offered three different scenarios to consider before last week’s vote to further amend the scope. These included running the Saturday events every week, twice a month or once a month.
Simone said a majority voted to keep al fresco dining to Saturdays for 14 weeks.
“Our goal was to make this beneficial to the entire [Federal] hill. So, I think there was a good compromise in cutting it back,” he said.
Simone said much of the feedback last year showed Federal Hill business owners didn’t think the Friday nights were worth the costs and effort.
“This is an incredibly labor-intensive thing to execute. We are closing 10 or 12 blocks of [Atwells] avenue,” he said.
Brian Kingsford, co-owner of both Bacaro and Otra restaurants on the city’s East Side, spent 17 years as a chef at Al Forno restaurant on Federal Hill before opening his own establishment in 2007. He said he understood the intention behind the concept to attract diners to a particular location, but there is always a downside.
“It seemed like a great idea. But when you block of the street like that, how do you get people to park and get there?” he asked, adding he had heard negative reviews surrounding traffic congestion from Federal Hill restaurant owners and people who live and work there.
“It’s not quite fair to everybody. You are never going to satisfy everyone,” said Kingsford. “When it’s forced on somebody, that is when it becomes contentious. So, it’s [important] to find a middle road.”
Some business owners who operate on Federal Hill welcomed the news that al fresco dining was being cut by half. Jonathon Kirk, owner of Masa Taqueria, which is not part of the association, partners with the Rock & Rye bar and nightclub to provide kitchen service, said while the outdoor dining may be beneficial to restaurants with parking on-site, his business had taken a financial hit because it relies partly on take-out orders.
Kirk estimated a 40% drop in orders on nights the events were held.
“It’s really only helping them,” he said of the larger establishments. “Whereas folks like myself are suffering because of limited traffic access to the area. If you can’t pull up and park in proximity or if the area is congested with traffic, customers are going elsewhere.”
“As much as we might try and emulate the European way of dining outside. Americans are just not that interested in it,” he said.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com)
