Board Shoots Down Squire Patio Smoking Request

CHATHAM – A request by the Chatham Squire to allow smoking and vaping on the Main Street restaurant’s outdoor patio after serving hours was denied by the select board last week.

 Serving was allowed on the outdoor patio behind the restaurant during the pandemic and continued afterward, with hours limited to 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends. The restaurant and tavern remain open until 1 a.m., however, and management thought it was safer for patrons to smoke in the patio area rather than on the sidewalk or parking lot, said manager Shannon Neal.

 “Historically people have always smoked out back of the Squire,” she said at a May 20 public hearing. Having patrons smoke on the public sidewalk or in the parking lot behind the restaurant has proven to be “a logistical nightmare,” especially on days when lines form to get into the tavern, and is also unsafe, she said.

 The iconic restaurant’s relations with neighbors have been tense since the outdoor patio was opened, and many objected to allowing smoking there after serving hours end. The board received nearly a dozen letters opposing the request, with some calling it “silly” and suggesting that smokers would sneak drinks outside.

 Several tenants of the Mayflower Shop complex complained last season about activity on the patio after the restricted hours, said owner David Oppenheim. To open it up for smoking is “absolutely ridiculous,” he said.

 “I find this particular thing kind of comically ridiculous and also insulting to the neighbors that live in the area,” he said. “The idea that someone will leave their drink, go out and smoke and come back and the drink will still be there is kind of ridiculous.”

 Striper Lane resident Jeanne Branson said neighbors were told there would be no further expansion of use of the patio. Main Street resident Tom Sharkey said officials should not be promoting smoking and vaping by allowing the request.

 Neal said the restaurant wants to have a good relationship with its neighbors. The patio would provide a more secure area for smokers, she said, keeping them from clogging the sidewalk out front or potentially being in harm’s way in the rear parking lot.

 “If we were able to contain people in our patio, we have the ability to keep them under control,” she said.

 Some town officials agreed “corralling” smokers in the enclosed patio area would be safer than having them smoke on the sidewalk or parking lot. It would make it easier to control, said Chief of Police Michael Anderson, and Fire Chief Justin Tavano agreed it would be a safer option.

 But select board members were not convinced. 

 “I think we’ve been generous and understanding” with allowing the nighttime use of the patio, said board member Jeffrey Dykens. He opposed the request, as did board member Shareen Davis, who saw it as “creep” toward further use. Chair Dean Nicastro said approving the request would run counter to the concerns the board has expressed in previous hearings about the patio.

 The board denied the request 4-0, with member Cory Metters recusing himself.