Westport’s Restaurant Scene: What Will Winter Bring?

This week, Merri Mueller posed a great question on Facebook’s Westport Front Porch group: Where to dine outdoors in Westport? It’s getting cooler, she said — but she is not yet comfortable going indoors.

Suggestions poured in:

Pene e Bene. Rive Bistro. Pearl at Longshore. The Boathouse at Saugatuck Rowing Club. Little Barn. Harvest. Manna Toast. Walrus Alley. Tarantino. The Cottage. Rizzuto’s (where you can request heaters — and they’ll close your private tent flaps).

I’m sure there are more. I’m also sure that “06880” readers will add them in the Comments section below.

But Merri’s query — and the responses — sparked an idea for more crowdsourcing here.

What else can Westport restaurant owners do for their customers, over the next few months?

The coronavirus will not go away. The holidays will be here before we know it. The weather will be much colder.

The speed, creativity and hospitality with which so many restaurants pivoted this spring and summer was impressive. With new delivery services, curbside pick-up, takeout and outdoor tables, they turned what could have been a disaster into an almost robust dining scene.

The next few months will be crucial for their bottom lines. With winter looming, it won’t be easy.

“06880” is here to help. Let’s hear readers’ creative ideas of what they’d like to see — outdoors and inside — at our many restaurants (and any other place that sells food).

You can be specific (mentioning one or two spots) or general.

So chew on this. Then click “Comments” below.