By James Lomuscio
It looks like hot dogs, hamburgers, lobster rolls and traditional beach fare will be served up again at Compo Beach by early August, filling the void left by longtime food operator Joey Romeo.
Westport’s Board of Selectmen, in a virtual meeting today, unanimously approved a five-year contract for a New York concessionaire Upsilon Entertainment Group LLC to operate at Compo Beach and Longshore Club Park’s Halfway House.
Though the first contract year with Upsilon begins Nov. 16 because of delayed beach and golf course openings due to COVID-19 concerns, an agreement rider allows the concessionaire to operate a 40-foot long, mobile kitchen starting midsummer outside the beach pavilion, facing the parking lot.
According to Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Fava, Upsilon, which has concessions in Brooklyn, New York’s Prospect Park and New York City’s Bryant Park and Hudson River Park, was selected out of five proposals following a formal bidding process.
Fava said Upsilon was chosen because of the company’s experience and willingness to participate in revenue sharing. Rents to the town for both locations would range from $100,000 per year or 10% of gross revenues, whichever is higher, Fava said, and would increase to $120,000 or 12% over contract years.
The agreement already had been approved of the Board of Finance, and the Planning and Zoning Commission gave a positive 8-24 recommendation to the selectmen
According to Fava, the mobile kitchen is not a food truck, but much larger and an actual kitchen that can be transported to different sites.
When asked by Selectwoman Melissa Kane about pricing and concerns the beach fare would not be cost prohibitive, Fava said that the menu and pricing would have “to be approved every year by the town.”
She said the mobile kitchens would be on site from breakfast through dinner hours though its exact hours of operation have yet to be set.
“We sure wish we could have opened on time back in April,” said First Selectman Jim Marpe, referring to late beach and Longshore openings and the need to keep beach entry regulated in the face of coronavirus concerns.
“Part of the strategy has been to keep the population down,” he added, saying that food service at the beach would have drawn greater crowds.
“But, we’re seeing an equilibrium at the beach now, seeing and ebb and flow that will work well with the interim agreement with the rider.”
Marpe said the goal has always been to make Compo Beach attractive, “but not so attractive that we’re avoiding or violating social distancing.”
