Photo: Outdoor dining in Belmont Center 2021

The days of al fresco dining in Belmont Center – a staple of local restaurants since 2020 – has all but ended as Leonard Street eateries are not interested continuing to provide open air service this summer, according to the leader of Belmont’s largest business organization.

“There’s not going to be any outdoor dining for this upcoming season,” said Deran Muckjian, president of the Belmont Center Business Association, who has been in discussion with the three restaurants – il Casale, the Wellington, and Stoneheart Pizza – which led the push for street-side service in the past few years.

Speaking before the Select Board on March 24, Muckjian said the reason for the pull back was simply a financial decision: The revenue being generated from the added outdoor tables didn’t justify the expense the businesses put into it.

“I hope the residents are not disappointed, but it was really an economic thing,” said Muckjian. “You can’t blame the restaurants’ thinking. They have a lot of space indoor that’s not being utilized, so they figure they can bring [customers] back inside.”

The Select Board at its Monday, March 24 meeting, were scheduled to go over this year’s sidewalk dining policy which was established during the early days of the COVID pandemic. With indoor dining under wide-ranging of state restrictions including masking and mandated space requirements, the town sought to assist local restaurants by increasing outside spaces to be used for al fresco dining. The plan expanded table service into Leonard Street behind jersey barriers, allowing the businesses an opportunity to salvage sales and keep the “door” open.

The initial plan included blocking off Leonard Street from Alexander Avenue to Concord Avenue before being modified to include a single lane running down the middle of the road with barriers down the length of the street, restricting street parking which angered many non-eatery retailers.

Over the past few years, the once popular eating option has seen a decreasing interest from restaurants asking for the extra space as COVID restrictions ended and

Muckjian said there will be limited fresh-air options including il Casale utilizing its patio in front of the restaurant, and “maybe” adding a couple tables on its sidewalk.

“It’s wide enough there and they’ve had it before. That’s their extent of outdoor dining,” he said. Muckjian suggested the select board establish rules on sidewalk-only dining and agreed with the board that the cost of a permit on future al fresco dining be upped from $250 to $500, putting the town in line with nearby communities such as Winchester.