An Open Letter to New Bedford’s Mayor Mitchell for More Outdoor Dining

Dear Mayor Mitchell,

It's time to get creative, especially if you are a business owner trying to run a restaurant. With restrictions hopefully being lifted here on the SouthCoast in the coming weeks, it's time to get creative, and while this idea isn't mine I think we need to consider it and how it could help New Bedford's restaurant industry.

Recently, it was announced there are plans to close off parts of Atwells Avenue in Providence– which is home to many restaurants on Federal Hill – to allow some establishments to have more outdoor seating using the street as their dining room.

This got me scratching my head; can we do this on the SouthCoast? Here are some examples of spots I think would be cool to have street closures for new or increased outside dining. While not all of them are in your city, Mr. Mayor, I do think other communities in the region would follow your lead:

Think about it, as the weather gets better some of us would actually prefer to eat outdoors. Yes, it would cause traffic but the small inconvenience would be helping local businesses stay open and we don't have to do it every day, maybe just a few nights a week.

The way I see it is, this isn't forever. But it will be a good chance to get out and enjoy some of the area's best dining spots in our fantastic summer weather.

I'm a believer that there is a happy medium between opening up the SouthCoast and doing it safely. It will help keep our local restaurants in business, but it will also help us all recover from spending the past few months stuck indoors.

So what do you say, Mayor Mitchell? Do you think New Bedford can try something like they are attempting in Providence?

We will need you to spearhead this effort and work with the health department and other entities to make sure it can happen as quickly, as smoothly and as safely as possible.

Thanks for listening,

Jackson