Latest news with #SusanSosnowski
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
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.
