Southampton - The results are in. Outdoor sidewalk dining in downtown Southampton was a resounding success at the close of its inaugural season. Restaurateurs along Main Street said they can't wait to do it again next year, as they put away their outdoor tables and chairs in anticipation of a Nov. 1 closing deadline set by the Village.

At 75 Main, a popular restaurant and bar on Main Street which changed ownership last year, new proprietor Tim Burke said the response was instantaneous and overwhelming.

"The most popular tables were the ones outside," Burke reports, citing the positive impact sidewalk dining had on the retail trade. "It increased foot activity in the Village, and that encouraged the stores to stay open later." Burke cut down his outdoor tables to five in the fall months. During the height of the summer he offered between six and nine outdoor tables to diners. According to the Village Outdoor Sidewalk Dining Ordinance, the outdoor dining tables must be located within six feet of the eatery and cannot extend beyond the width of the building.

The desire to boost retail activity on downtown Main Street as well as on adjacent Jobs Lane prompted the Chamber of Commerce, local residents, businesses and restaurant owners to join forces in a push for a Village ordinance permitting the sidewalk cafes. Although the law was enacted in June 2005, only one restaurant at that time, Le Chef, on Jobs Lane, took advantage and put two 30 inch round café tables on the street just outside their front door bedecked with table linens and place settings consisting of fine china and silverware. This is after all, not about the paper plates, or the picnic.

The idea was to promote fine dining out of doors, not unlike that found at European sidewalk cafes - replete with a Parisian air, encouraging the food trendy to come to the Village after business hours to shop and dine. The outdoor dining was also expected to be a draw for the lunchtime crowd as well.

Lunchtime dining at Sant Ambroeus outdoor dining alley.

Clearly the downtown business community was trying to shed the old small town image as a "place where the sidewalks were rolled up at 5 p.m." Many storekeepers contend the Village has become overcrowded with banks and mortgage companies and they saw a need to infuse "some new life." They compared the Village with neighboring Sag Harbor and East Hampton where stores are open much later and decided they should "get in the game."

It's tough to say how much of an increase the outdoor dining has afforded neighboring businesses though Michael Ferran of Barrister's said "I can't quantify it or put a number on it, but I can say we had a much better season over all. This was the best leg up in a decade for this Village. It gave us a big advantage over Sag Harbor and East Hampton. It attracted more young people."

A Boost To Retail
"The outdoor dining has communicated an air of conviviality to the Village that we have not had in a long time," said Garret Wellins, as he stood outside Silver's Restaurant, a mainstay on Main Street. Wellins is the third generation owner of this popular watering hole established in 1923 by his grandparents who came to Southampton from Plainfield, New Jersey by way of Russia. Wellins told his story on a balmy October afternoon, commenting that he had already put his two sidewalk tables into storage for the season. They will be back come the first Friday before the Memorial Day Weekend, which is the start up date for the outdoor table permits sold by the Village.

"We have to keep evolving to survive as small town businesses," Wellins, who has witnessed the family business go through three incarnations, added. His grandparents Max and Molly Silver started Silvers as a tobacconist and news shop. In 1966, a soda fountain and lunch counter made its way into the business and Garret's father stood behind the counter.

"The sidewalk dining is a good thing for us," said Wellins, "it brought more animation on Main Street. We are advertising for ourselves, we are advertising for other businesses and we are advertising for the Village. It's about fine food and fun," he said. Wellins said it was a little more work to have the two tables outside but it was worth it.

Further down Main Street, at 75 Main, owner Tim Burke had five outdoor tables festively set with fall centerpieces while two big pumpkins were placed outside the door welcoming dinners to read a menu and have a seat. Even as the cooler weather approaches Burke reports patrons are willing to sit outside in their overcoats and sweaters as long as the sun is shining. Of late unusually warm afternoons have extended the practice.

Barristers, located at 36 Main Street, kept four outside tables ready for the taking which never seemed to be empty as a steady stream of diners had lunch or dinner as soon as the popular eatery opened their doors each day.

"Southampton really had to get involved," said shopkeeper Linda Curry who runs "Kim and Me," a Main Street boutique which features children's clothing, handbags and accessories, with her daughter Kim. The store located at 27 Main, is directly across the street from the brick paved alleyway leased by Sant Ambroeus for use as their sidewalk café.

"It was very elegant," Curry commented. "They had tables and chairs with fabric tableclothes. A waiter in black tie greeted diners and escorted them to tables in the alleyway turned outside dining room." Foreshadowing the advent of colder weather the once bustling alleyway is now empty though flowers still bloom in the planters and the black metal outdoor dining chairs are chained to the wall.

Outside Tables Most Popular
"The outside tables were the most popular tables," said Laura Ferrick, who works as Burke's assistant at 75 Main. "We had a one hour wait sometimes," she said. "People would leave their cell phones numbers so we could call them when we had a table, they'd do some shopping, then they'd come back."

According to the Village Ordinance, a restaurant may not increase its seating by the use of outside tables and must deduct the number of outside tables from the approved total. So far everyone seems to think it's worth it.

"It's a great idea," Adam Batchellor, owner and operator of The Village Cheese Shop, a popular lunchtime haunt for many local business people who are pressed for time. The shop, which offers freshly brewed coffee, sandwiches, hot soup and gourmet items from around the world, offers a handful of tables inside. "Everyone sits on the bench in front of the shop to eat their sandwich," Batchellor quipped, "So we have outside dining here too."

"Last year, only one guy did it," Burke commented, "Next year, everyone is going to do it." Reiterating that sentiment, Wellins agreed, "The idea is working."

Perhaps the ultimate 'Hamptons' seal of approval is the celebrity endorsement that further proves the concept is a winner.

"We had Kevin Spacey come in and ask for an outside table," Burke reported. Likewise actress Felicity Huffman and her husband William H. Macy frequently joined the outside dinner crowd. One night Barbara Walters came in with a friend. She had a reservation for an inside table, took one look at the sidewalk café tables, turned to Burke and said "Can I sit outside?" Her request was granted. Did anyone see her shopping?

The outdoor dining season comes to an end at 75 Main. Photos by Andrea Aurichio