Tack Room to offer more outdoor eating, expanded hours

The Tack Room restaurant in South Lincoln has gotten a temporary OK to expand the outdoor dining area onto the grass and expand its hours of operation.

Under the plan, which was approved by the Select Board on April 25, the restaurant will create a roped-off area on the lawn in front of the building for picnic tables, two- and four-seat hightop tables, a server station, and a spot for lawn games. Canned and bottled wine, beer, and cocktails will be served as well as food.

The expansion would occupy about two-thirds of the green space during warm weather. “Our goal is not to turn this into a massive outdoor space. We would treat this sort of like a beer garden,” co-owner Brandon Bunnewith told the board, which needed to approve the plan because it involves a change to the liquor license.

The outdoor area beyond the patio will initially be open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons from about 4–9:30 p.m. 

The Tack Room also got permission to open an hour earlier (10 a.m. rather than the current 11 a.m.) on Thursday through Sunday for brunch, and close an hour later (midnight rather than 11 p.m.) on the same days. Outdoor seating would close no later than 10 p.m.

“We’ve been having people come in for later dinners and hanging around, asking if we can stay open a bit later,” Bunnewith said. “This gives us a bit of extra buffer time so we don’t have to rush people out.”

The restaurant also hopes to offer live entertainment in the outdoor area, though it will have to apply separately for that. Bunnewith said he has never had a complaint about noise or behavior but that he would work with town officials on mandating limits to noise at night.

“A number of people say they’re in favor of a more vibrant town center, which is in the interest of many of us in town, but we have to be respectful of abutters,” Select Board member Jim Hutchinson said. 

The board approved the expanded service footprint and hours of operation until the end of the calendar year.