PEABODY — Now that Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan is underway, a couple of popular Peabody restaurants were among the first to reopen in the city this week, taking advantage of a streamlined city permitting process that allows eateries to open with as little red tape as possible.
“We wanted to get ahead of this knowing that this (Phase 2) was coming down the pike and knowing we need to be business friendly.” said City Council President Tom Rossignoll.
“The normal process for a special permit is lengthy and we just wanted to shorten the process, so we took the council element out of the process to streamline things. We don’t meet everyday, so we made it easier for people who now don’t have to go through us.”
Community Development Director Curt Bellavance said approximately 18 restaurants in the city have been approved for outside dining.
At Toscana Ristorante on Bourbon Street, diners are treated to Peabody’s version of the North End, thanks to a magical transformation that turned the parking lot into an al fresco style, tented dining area, complete with fountains, overhead lighting and bistro seating for 50.
The demand was so high that Friday night reservations were totally booked.
“Dinner has been really good and I’m trying to find a way to add more tables,” said owner Lucio Perrina. “It’s ironic because we had toyed with the idea of outside dining in the past, but there were always obstacles in the way. We had been working on configuring the space inside and were completely surprised when we found out that only outdoor dining was allowed, but it turns out that we were lucky as we had a decent layout outside, so it all worked out beautifully.”
Perrina said Toscana has been able to keep its full time staff to meet the public’s demand for takeout.
“We’ve always had a strong takeout business, even pre-COVID,” said Perrina. “And we are still crazy busy even though we’ve opened outside.”
Previously open for lunch only on Fridays, Toscana is now open for lunch seven days a week. Reservations are required for lunch and dinner.
Downtown on Foster Street, Champions Pub reopened for business Thursday morning, also in a specially-adapted parking lot that featured family-style tables with umbrellas. While the opening was cut short due to a line of afternoon thunderstorms, owner Phil Mitchell said the opening was a success.
“We only opened for the first half of the day because of the rain, but we still had plenty of people in here,” he said. “People are really excited to get out again, so, with good weather, we are preparing for an extremely busy weekend. It just feels good knowing that people need this.”
To comply with state regulations, a temporary barrier with privacy netting was constructed around the perimeter of the dining space. The place has a Fenway Park rooftop feel, complete with Champions’ own version of the Green Monster along with Sam Adams umbrellas. The restaurant, which seats up to 90 inside, can accommodate 60 outside.
Mitchell said the key to being able to get up and going was preparation.
“We knew we were a phase 2 so we kept all our information current with the Health Department and had everything in order, so we were ready to go,” he said. “The thing is, we never stopped working. We were doing takeout the whole time. Business was good, so we were able to keep my workers employed and didn’t let anyone go, so now with a full service outdoor menu, we’ll just go from there and see what happens.”
Like Perrina, Mitchell says he is hoping to add more seating.
“Right now, we’re at 60, but we’ll go from there and if we have to throw a few high tops in the back, we will. We are observing all the state guidelines with all workers wearing masks, customers wearing masks until they are seated and social distancing in place.
What to do when opening day is cut short? Curbside take-away from Toscana.
“We are big fans of Lucio and he’s a big fan of us, so we frequent each other’s places often, which is great,” said Mitchell, now in his 32nd year as owner. “They do a great job over there and have great food, so we figured, why not?”
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
