The former Melrose groceteria (now there’s a word we don’t use much any more…) will become a gourmet pizza establishment. The owners are looking for a way to have some outdoor patio.
The front sidewalk area is tight, but I think it is doable. But do the new owners want their gourmands dining beside the tavern entrance? They proposed a patio at the back of the building (but I gather, not the side …). They are opposed by the local neighborhood association representing neighbors who feel the back yard patio will be noisy for their adjacent houses. The Assoc. suggested to the owners, that they consider a building frontage of opening glass doors/windows, so you can dine indoors yet open air to the sidewalk.
Profit margins in most businesses are thin. Grabbing a few extra seats and getting bodies in them during some good summer weather is a cheap way to increase sales when demand is high. The patio also offers aforesaid pizza gourmands an environmental choice: A/C indoors, patio outdoors. Wide open windows does not increase seating capacity, and can bugger up climate control for those sitting inside but not at the window (and for the kitchen too).
Given the little hierarchy of patio choices I put in a post a few days ago, I would suggest NO to the backyard patio, maybe to a sideyard one, and YES to a front yard one. Now, it remains to show some imagination in how to get that patio built. I gather their is pressure for the city to relocate the gray switch box in front of the building. The owners could also look at renting and decking over the first parking space to detour foot traffic around their patio. Or maybe the city might increase the bulb out to take over that first parking spot.
I'm just excited about having wood oven pizza in the neighbourhood whether it be inside or out! At least the rumour I heard was that they would have a wood oven for cooking the 'za's. I used to live at Stoney's Pizza in Kingston on Ontario street.
Hi Eric, FYI: The Elmdale Tavern (at least when there's a show on at night) locks the front door next to the Melrose, and uses their side door, off the KFC parking lot as the entry/exit