Latest news with #MatunuckOysterBar
CBS News
30-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Matunuck Oyster Bar in Rhode Island reopens for outdoor dining weeks after devastating fire
The Matunuck Oyster Bar, a popular Rhode Island restaurant hit by a devastating fire just weeks ago, has reopened for outdoor dining. The South Kingston seafood spot, named one of the best restaurants of 2025 by USA Today, had a "soft opening" on Monday and will officially open on Tuesday, which also happens to be its 16th anniversary. An online fundraiser has raised more than $250,000 to help rebuild the restaurant and support staff members since the fire that gutted the restaurant on May 20. "I think there's a togetherness, the people really feel close to each other," owner Perry Raso told WPRI-TV. "It's not just a business. I knew it wasn't about the food or the service or the building. It's about this togetherness." Raso was profiled by CBS Saturday Morning in 2022. He is a proponent of sustainable shellfish farming, and diners at the waterfront restaurant could watch their oysters get harvested and shucked. "Take It Outside Law" helps oyster bar reopen At the reopened oyster bar, guests sit under a tent at the marina parking lot across the street from the restaurant. They will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and there will also be "grab and go" options. The reopening was made possible in part by a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Dan McKee. The new law allows restaurants damaged by fire or flood to offer temporary outdoor dining for up to 18 months, as long as they meet health and safety regulations. "These types of businesses are so important to our economy," McKee said.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Matunuck Oyster Bar could reopen temporarily outdoors this summer. Here's how.
Three weeks after the Matunuck Oyster Bar was shuttered by a fire, state lawmakers are working on legislation that would allow the popular South Kingstown restaurant to serve customers this summer in a parking lot across the street. The bills, H6392 and S1139, allow any licensed food service establishment closed by a flood, fire or other "casualty" to provide outdoor dining services for 18 months, or until the outdoor structure is rehabilitated. The temporary outdoor restaurant would need municipal approval but would not require any further relief from local ordinances and codes. Introduced respectively by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Susan Sosnowski, both of South Kingstown, the bills do not mention Matunuck Oyster Bar by name but are clearly intended as a response to the May 20 fire. "The legislation would allow the restaurant to serve customers across the street in a parking lot that is owned by Perry Raso, who owns Matunuck Oyster Bar," a news release announcing the bills said, and would "keep 50 employees of the restaurant working during the busy summer months." McEntee described the legislation as "the least we could do to help weather the difficulties resulting from the fire, including keeping some of the restaurant's workers employed during the busy summer season. Sosnowski said the idea of temporary outdoor operations is built on the "Take It Outside" laws pioneered during the COVID pandemic. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi "pledged his strongest support" for the bill in a post on the social media site X, leaving little doubt that it is expected to pass before the end of the annual General Assembly legislative session. The bills would allow Matunuck Oyster Bar to serve alcohol while open in the parking lot. The provisions of the bill would expire June 30, 2027. Hearing on the legislation are scheduled in the House Small Business Committee and Senate Housing Committee Tuesday, June 10. Raso has vowed to rebuild the restaurant on Succotash Road off Potter Pond. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Matunuck Oyster Bar could reopen outdoors this summer under new bills
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's going on with Matunuck Oyster Bar? Here's what has happened since the fire.
Three weeks after popular Rhode Island restaurant Matunuck Oyster Bar was destroyed in a fire, what's happening with the restaurant and the site? While cleanup at the 629 Succotash Road location in South Kingstown is continuing, fans of the restaurant, which was recently named one of USA Today's best restaurants in the country, may still be able to get a taste of their food this summer, albeit in unconventional ways. Matunuck Oyster Bar could reopen during the summer for outdoor dining in the parking lot across the street after the passage of bills to let any licensed food service establishment closed by a flood, fire or other "casualty" to provide outdoor dining services for 18 months, or until the outdoor structure is rehabilitated. The bills passed the General Assembly on June 18 and are heading to the governor's desk to be signed into law. Another restaurant destroyed by a fire, Finn's Harborside in East Greenwich, announced they were partially reopening in a similar setup, though as an outdoor bar and not a restaurant. Matunuck Oyster Bar was also recently a vendor at the Savor New England food event at Mohegan Sun on June 7, so the restaurant may pop up at similar events throughout the summer. On June 12, Matunuck Oyster Bar's owner Perry Raso issued a statement thanking lawmakers for their attention to the two bills that would allow them to partially reopen. "While we know summer at Matunuck Oyster Bar won't look the same this year, this creative solution is a great first step toward welcoming diners back to our tables and keeping our staff working and earning wages during this busy season," Raso said. He added that they would be sharing plans to open al fresco in the parking lot across the street if the legislation passes, and he committed to providing as many summer shifts for as many of our employees as possible." Here's what the restaurant looks like three weeks after the fire: This story has been updated with new information. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Matunuck Oyster Bar is still closed after fire, but is there hope this summer?
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers approve outdoor dining change to help Matunuck Oyster Bar after devastating fire
The damaged Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown is shown on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the date of a devastating fire believed to have been accidental. (Photo by Laura Paton/Rhode Island Current) Appreciation for South County's acclaimed Matunuck Oyster Bar transcends political party, evidenced by the Rhode Island General Assembly's universal support to change state outdoor dining regulations on the restaurant's behalf. Companion bills sponsored by South Kingstown Democrats, Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski were each approved by their respective chambers in separate, unanimous votes Thursday. Each chamber must still give the rubber stamp to the other's bill — a process known as concurrence — before the legislation heads to Gov. Dan McKee's desk. McKee has already indicated his support. The eleventh hour proposal, introduced in the Rhode Island State House one week earlier, offers a temporary solution after a fire permanently closed Matunuck Oyster Bar on May 20. Perry Raso, restaurant owner and oyster farmer, has cooked up a plan to host diners in a neighboring marina parking lot this summer, which requires a few tweaks to existing state regulations governing al fresco eateries. 'While we know summer at Matunuck Oyster Bar won't look the same this year, this creative solution is a great first step toward welcoming diners back to our tables and keeping our staff working and earning wages during this busy season,' Raso said in a statement Thursday prior to the votes. Raso said he can keep about 50 members of his 300-person staff on the payroll this summer under the mobile kitchen plan. 'This bill is not only about outdoor dining, it's about protecting jobs, supporting small business and keeping our economy going,' said Rep. Kathleen Fogarty, a South Kingstown Democrat whose district includes the restaurant and Raso's home. Outdoor dining is no longer a novelty, having become a staple for the state's hospitality industry in the wake of the pandemic. In February 2024, lawmakers approved a new state law regulating outdoor dining, allowing cities and towns to limit outdoor dining on public property and set capacity caps, while protecting restaurant owners from overly restrictive local limits on operating hours and parking. The bill passed by both chambers Thursday amends the 2024 law, permitting 18 months of outdoor dining — or until the building is 'fit for occupancy' — for restaurants closed due to casualties like floods and fires. Municipal governments would also need to OK the workaround measure for affected restaurants in their communities based on existing local ordinances. Restaurants could serve alcohol outside, too, if they already have a local liquor license. The added flexibility for outdoor dining in emergencies expires June 30, 2027, though Senator Leonidas Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat, urged fellow senators to consider making the change permanent. 'I think this is a very good tool that helps all businesses in Rhode Island,' Raptakis, who used to own Venus Pizza in Coventry. 'I don't want to see this happen to any business.' Across the rotunda, Minority Whip David Place,a Burrillville Republican, lobbied unsuccessfully to make the proposal permanent. 'I don't want this to just be here for one business, I want it to be here for every business,' Place said. McEntee, however, said the sunset provision aligned with prior, pandemic-era outdoor dining laws, which all began as temporary measures and, if proven effective, became permanent. Place ultimately voted for the legislation as presented, including the 2027 expiration. The South Kingstown Town Council passed a resolution at its June 9 meeting supporting the state policy change, as requested by Elizabeth Noonan, an attorney representing Raso. The South Kingstown Town Council must also approve details of Raso's outdoor dining plans, which had not been submitted to the town as of Thursday afternoon, Town Council President Rory McEntee. He is the son of Rep. McEntee. 'We look forward to sharing our plans for al fresco dining in the marina parking lot across the street from the Matunuck Oyster Bar if and when this legislation is enacted, and we remain committed to take any step we can to preserve as many summer shifts for as many of our employees as possible,' Raso said Thursday. Details on a permanent rebuild and reopening of the famed, 16-year seafood restaurant were not immediately available. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Rhode Island Office of the State Fire Marshal, Matt Touchette, a spokesperson, said Thursday. A preliminary investigation suggested it was accidental, and not caused by commercial cooking equipment. Rep. Megan Cotter, an Exeter Democrat, recused herself from the vote. Cotter sold the restaurant fish through her job as director of business development and category management for Foley Fish, she said via text Thursday night. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Push to help Matunuck Oyster Bar reopen advances at State House
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — While flames may have destroyed the inside, a bill that could allow Matunuck Oyster Bar to serve customers outside is one step closer to becoming law. Nearly a month after fire devastated the beloved South Kingstown restaurant, the community is continuing to rally behind it in hopes of reopening in time for the busy summer season. 'Like a bad dream': Rhode Islanders distraught by fire at beloved oyster bar State Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Susan Sosnowski are helping lead the charge with the 'Outdoor Dining Act,' which would allow restaurants damaged by natural disasters — such as fire or flooding — to operate with outdoor seating and a mobile kitchen. The legislation advanced Tuesday night in both the House Committee on Small Business and the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. Matunuck Oyster Bar owner Perry Raso stressed how important this step is to him and his staff. 'It will allow us to maintain and do some level of business and sell seafood which is what we do and keep our staff going and hopefully generate some revenue at the same time until we can rebuild,' Raso said. On Monday, the South Kingstown Town Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the legislation. Town manager James Manni explained how the restaurant is a critical thread in the fabric of their local economy and community. 'How many of us have been there for graduation, anniversaries, mothers day, fathers day so on and so forth?,' Manni said Tuesday night. The current proposal includes a sunset clause that would expire in June 2027, but both Hagan McEntee and Sosnowski said they expect to revisit the timeline. 'There may be other restaurants that may be effected and we should look at it and make it a permanent law rather than just a temporary one,' Sosnowski said. Votes on the bill are expected in the full House and Senate on Thursday. Smiley: Providence in 'very preliminary' talks with Matunuck Oyster Bar Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
