COVID-19 caused Morganton city staff to look for creative ways to support downtown businesses last summer, and they again are looking to assist by reopening the “streatery” on King Street at West Union Street.
Sharon Jablonski, director of the city’s cultural and creative development department, said downtown Morganton currently only has six restaurants serving lunch.
“The bottom line is the employees have just not come back,” Jablonski said.
Tourists staying at the downtown hotel, which Jablonski said has been booked solid on the weekends and pretty full throughout the week, have been met with packed restaurants when looking to enjoy a lunch downtown.
Jablonski requested, and was granted, that city staff be able to close King Street at West Union Street temporarily on days when they will have at least two food trucks.
People are also reading…
Wednesday will see the first closure of the street when three food trucks will hit downtown:
- Naan Sense, a Forest City-based food truck, will be offering south Asian cuisine.
- Morganton’s own ROTATION food truck will introduce its Oktoberfest-themed menu with German-inspired options.
- Lobster Dogs will bring its take on lobster.
About half a block of King Street will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on days when the city is able to get enough food trucks to come downtown.
A new parklet will go up in front of Crafted on West Union Street. The parklets and the streatery are available for anyone to use, not just customers at specific restaurants.
Jablonski said the city also will be adding a QR code to each of the parklets that would allow patrons to scan them and find menus for downtown restaurants.
These outdoor dining guidelines will continue until the governor’s state of emergency for COVID-19 ends.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation also is requiring the city to enter a new encroachment agreement for the parklets that still is being finalized.
Louis Vinay, city attorney for Morganton, said that the North Carolina Department of Transportation set out certain requirements that would have to be included in that agreement, including that the spaces have to be temporary and portable structures, and the parklets must be open to all of the public and not just patrons of a single restaurant.
The parklets also must be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and must not block drainage. The city must assume liability if there is any injury or damage because of the state’s highway right-of-way.
City staff still are finalizing the encroachment agreement.
Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Cato said NCDOT officials had communicated to city officials and council members that Morganton is one of the first in the state to pursue parklets and streateries as an outdoor dining option.
“They were looking at Morganton to kind of give them an example that they can then use across the state,” Cato said. “I was pretty proud that they said that.”
Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941. Follow @cmurphyMNH on Twitter.