HOLMES BEACH – City commissioners unanimously approved a request from The Feast restaurant owners to expand their outdoor seating capacity from eight to 28 seats.
City commissioners approved the request on Oct. 16, with restaurant owners and brothers Christofer Dale and Joe Dale in attendance.
The additional outdoor seating will be accomplished by placing additional tables and 20 more chairs in the covered outdoor dining area in front of the indoor restaurant space.
A site plan submitted with the request shows how the expanded seating capacity will be accomplished in the outdoor dining area.
According to the staff report provided by Development Services Director Chad Minor, “The request aims to enhance customer capacity and improve the dining experience while maintaining compliance with the city of Holmes Beach land development code requirements.”
For the protection of the restaurant patrons, parking bumpers or bollards must be installed between the parking spaces that abut the sidewalk and the outdoor dining area.
When addressing the commission, Christofer Dale said the expanded seating configuration will still leave the space needed for pedestrians to use the sidewalk and leave enough space for first responders, wheelchair access and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The commission approval does not allow for amplified outdoor music.
When speaking to The Sun after leaving the commission meeting, Joe Dale said, “At The Feast, you can expect some of the some of the best food on the Island. We no longer have pizza, but we have a full bar with liquor. We’re changing our cocktail menu and were updating our food menu to reflect a lot of grouper and local seafood, and we’re adding to our steak options. We have good prices and a great staff that’s considerate and polite. We’re casual fine dining. You can come in off the beach or get dressed up if you like. We do a lot of wedding receptions and anniversary parties. We’re open daily from 4 to 9 p.m. and our new happy hour hours are 4 to 5:30.”
The Feast is located at 5406 Marina Drive in the Island Shopping Center.
