ChowderFest 2021: Annual soup competition returns to New Bedford southcoasttoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from southcoasttoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dining al fresco: New Bedford parklets here to stay
Standard-Times Staff
NEW BEDFORD Parklets came to the city to help restaurants survive the pandemic. After it ends, they ll stick around.
Acting City Planner Anne Louro said parklets are used commonly in regions that are warm year round, but that restaurants in this city have likely recognized their value. Folks really do enjoy eating al fresco, it s a nice amenity to have, she said.
Louro said they can get about six months of use before cold weather sets in. They re mostly used by restaurant that have sidewalks too narrow to seat patrons.
The semi-finalists for the SouthCoast s Best Waitstaff have been determined. You can vote for your favorite front-of-house staff below for a chance to send them to the finals next week.
We kicked off March with a new idea to put the spotlight on the SouthCoast s restaurants. While the pandemic has certainly hit restaurant owners square in the jaw – repeatedly – over the past 12 months, owners aren t the only ones who have been affected by shutdowns and restrictions. Servers, bartenders, hosts and hostesses have all been dealt a tough hand. The COVID-19 pandemic has hurt them financially and has fundamentally changed their jobs.
Marblehead businesses welcome ‘Rapid Recovery’ help
Free consultant to analyze the challenges and offer solutions to those hit hard by COVID-19
Leigh Blander/ Wicked Local
MARBLEHEAD Heather Dalton, owner of the boutique Seaside Allure, is relieved and hopeful after hearing that the town has won a Local Rapid Recovery Planning (LRRP) grant to help town businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“It’s been really quiet. Just getting people to come in the door is hard,” Dalton said. “People are hunkered down. And they’re shopping at big box stores online, putting the little businesses in a tough place.”