As Restaurants Close During Pandemic, Milford’s Dockside Brewery Among Those Opening

We’ve seen the headlines, and it comes as no surprise.  More than 600 restaurants in Connecticut have closed since the pandemic arrived in March, most despite their best efforts to survive.

Yet, some have managed to swim against the tide and remain open.  No easy task, to be sure.  Even less likely, some restaurants have made their debut during the pandemic, and have managed to get their footing in the most tenuous times for the industry in anyone’s memory.

One such restaurant is the Dockside Brewery in Milford. Bob Chicoine, the majority and co-owner, says that one of the secrets to Dockside’s success beyond expectations is the willingness and ability to pivot – from day one.

“Expect the unexpected and be able to pivot,” Chicoine explained recently in an appearance on the Connecticut-based podcast Win the Future. “I can't stress that enough. Just don't be so rigid that you can't change because things have changed on a dime.” 

Dockside Brewery -- which opened its doors adjacent to the waterfront to nearly universal acclaim and a financial success beyond any of its initial projections -- is an independent craft brewery and waterfront biergarten located on the banks of the Housatonic River in Milford.  Chicoine admits there wasn’t a blueprint for opening safely during a pandemic, “but we just did it,” crediting his staff for their determination and creativity.  “Our employees have really taken this seriously.” 

Dockside, with a vast array of outdoor seating and a beautiful view of the Housatonic River -- attached to a nearly 70-slip marina and access to the Long Island Sound – has a setting (and multiple levels of outdoor seating) that the brewpub co-owner cites as a critical asset attributed to its success during the summer. They began with take-out only in late March, adding outdoor dining in late April. 

There was a focus on “how do we make customers feel comfortable” and “how can we do things better” from the moment they opened, Chicoine explained to podcast host Brett Broesder.  Mask-wearing, for example, has been mandatory.  And a reservation system has been used – something that wasn’t in the initial plans, but became necessary due to COVID safety guidelines, but which Chicoine notes has been quite successful. 

Nearly half of consumers are still hesitant to eat in a sit-down restaurant, according to a recent Washington State University nationwide survey. And since March, more than 50 percent of Yelp restaurants now list as permanent closures, according to the company’s local economic impact report. With pandemic numbers surging once again, those numbers are likely to grow.

In recent weeks, the Max Restaurant Group announced it will temporarily close Trumbull Kitchen in downtown Hartford.  Dish Bar & Grill and Firebox, both in Hartford, closed permanently this spring.  UConn coach Geno Auriemma’s Italian restaurant in Storrs Center closed in May.  Qawa Coffee in Middletown closed “indefinitely” this week. A year ago, Smashburger restaurants were operating in Enfield, Manchester, Milford, Wallingford, Southington and Waterford. Only the latter two remain, according to published reports. 

As of last month, restaurants have been required to scale back their maximum indoor capacity from 75% to 50%, and close at 10 PM, a situation that has raised concerns across Connecticut’s restaurant industry, and opposition by the Connecticut Restaurant Association. 

Dockside is one of many new entrepreneurial ventures to ramp up as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the state and national economy.   According to government data, more than 3 million new employer identification numbers have been applied for so far this year, which is a nearly one half-million increase year-over-year. 

Most are not in the restaurant industry, but Dockside is far from the only restaurant to open doors during the pandemic, including in Connecticut. 

Even in some of the locations of now-closed former restaurants around the state, new restaurant ventures are taking root, and others are in the works.  In West Hartford, for example, when it was announced in August that Blue Plate Kitchen would be closing, another local restaurant owner - Miguel Proano and Carlina Fontaine, who operate Pastrami on Wry in Manchester - saw an opportunity and responded within a month by purchasing the restaurant and alerting the community that it would be remaining open, under new management.

With winter now upon us, Chicoine acknowledges it will be more of an uphill battle, but he has heaters in place and ready to go, so they’re able to utilize their outside space as much as possible, and stay within state occupancy and safety guidelines. He remains optimistic, and ready to pivot as necessary.