HATFIELD — A School Street restaurant will be allowed to have outdoor dining for the first time.
Fishtales Bar & Grill on Tuesday was granted the right to alter its license and expand food and drink service onto a newly constructed deck, following a 3-0 vote by the Select Board.
The board was acting on a petition from Michael Fitzgerald, the landlord and owner of the 5 School St. business.
Frank Caruso, an attorney for Fitzgerald, said the expanded premise allows Fishtales to bring employees back and begin the recovery from the forced shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is the appropriate way to do it,” Caruso said.
On the deck, which will have a tent to provide some protection from the elements, diners will have to make reservations and be kept at least 6 feet apart, servers will wear masks and gloves and there will be a limit of 75 minutes for each diner to stay.
The only concerns about the project, which also must be approved by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission because it will be a permanent change, came from resident Michael Hogan, whose mother lives nearby on School Street. Hogan said having outdoor dining and allowing serving of alcohol outdoors, and playing music on the deck, changes the dynamics of the neighborhood.
“It does have to do with the well being of a taxpayer in Hatfield, Massachusetts that lives a peaceful, elderly life, with other people on that street,” Hogan said.
Fitzgerald said the deck was built in a tasteful manner and that he is not looking to create trouble.
“We don’t want problems,” Fitzgerald said.
Select Board Chairwoman Diana Szynal said Fishtales did a nice job of making an aesthetically pleasing deck, and have put up a barrier to prevent the deck from being disruptive.
“This is going to be people sitting and eating their dinner and having a drink,” Szynal said.
No other neighbors contacted Szynal in person, by phone or by email with concerns, she said.
Select Board member Edmund Jaworski said that Fishtales should be mindful of abutters when music is played.
In addition, there have been issues with snowmobilers patronizing the restaurant and bar and then riding on other private property nearby. That is an issue Select Board members suggested should be addressed in the future outside of the license hearing.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
