Little Pub is the Latest Connecticut Establishment Facing Noise Complaints

A social media post by Little Pub - Stratford caught my attention. It said that "They were at a loss for words" over an article that the CT Post had published and basically if anyone was interested or not, in Little Pub's business intentions should check out a website - Seawall4all.com.

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Your chubby buddy did. I love Little Pub's food, they have 5 locations along Connecticut's shoreline communities. I read the CT Post's article, Seawall4all.com, and spoke with the owner of Little Pub-Stratford. The problem, yet again, is noise.

What Little Pub - Stratford is going through is very similar to what has recently occurred in Watertown at Hawk Ridge Winery and Sunset Grille, and South Farms in Morris. Residents that live nearby all three establishments have complained to their town officials that the outdoor entertainment and patrons are too loud and that they are disturbing their peace.

There is no simple solution. The first course of action is to turn it down and maybe, if you have the space, bring it inside. But on the other side, the owners of these establishments have every right to run their businesses as they see fit on their land. Compromise? Sure, but, where does it end?

According to the CT Post's article which is titled "Neighbors: Stratford's Little Pub Causing Big Problems", Little Pub's owner, Douglas Grabe, adapted the lot between his businesses during the pandemic to have a place for his patrons to sit and enjoy food, beverages, and the incredible view from his properties. Now, he'd like to invest in building Seawall Park, a permanent place where the public can enjoy the beautiful environment on sturdy, manicured grounds, instead of a lot with picnic tables and a couple of temporary shipping containers serving as serving stations.

The neighbors see and hear loud music, people smoking weed, urinating and even pooping, driving the wrong way down the narrow streets, etc.

My dad was in the food & beverage industry most of his life and that's most of the battle in bar ownership, your customers. You can try to control, but often, there's one or sometimes 4 customers a night that goes too far.

Did the confinement we all went through during the pandemic make us more used to outdoor silence? Did not having that bar next door open for 6 months improve your quality of life that much? The restaurant and hospitality industry has changed so much over the past 15 months. It's amazing that the bars, pubs and locally-owned restaurants and hotels are even operating.

It's in the hands of our elected and appointed officials now. I personally love live entertainment at restaurants, bars and wineries, but I don't live 150 feet from one. Compromise.