Starboard permitted to convert outdoor dining tent to pavilion

It seems that outdoor dining at The Starboard in Dewey beach is here to stay, rain or shine, all year round. 

The Dewey Beach Board of Adjustment unanimously voted Dec. 19, to approve the restaurant’s requests to convert its permanent outdoor dining tent to a weather-resistant pavilion with a fire suppression sprinkler system. 

It also authorized the expansion of The Starboard’s covered outdoor dining area from 1,200 square feet with nine dining tables to 1,579 square feet with 11 dining tables. The total square footage and capacity will remain the same, but more of the existing area will be covered.

“There’s a lot of day-to-day difficulties with running a restaurant that is year-round in a beach town that has a wind tunnel coming up Saulsbury Street,” said The Starboard owner Steve “Monty” Montgomery. “You get one gust of wind, and that tent [turns into] a kite.”

In the current conditions, the tent must be taken down every time there’s a storm, snow or strong wind, which prevents Montgomery from installing fire sprinklers. 

The newly approved conversion would eliminate that issue and allow for the installation of a sustainable fire suppression system, making the restaurant safer for its patrons and employees.

It would also improve stormwater management, with a slanted roof to direct drainage. A mock-up of the structure shows the roof slanting back toward The Starboard’s main building rather than toward the street, adding more coverage without taking up more space.

“I’ve seen the tent in the middle of a storm,” said one man who lives next to the restaurant. “I’ve seen Monty’s employees frantically trying to make sure that tent gets down, and it’s extreme. It’s not the best situation.”

According to Hal Dukes, who owns property on Saulsbury Street directly across from The Starboard, “People in this neighborhood would prefer to have this new plan done and approved. We’re all for this.”

Dukes, who also owns the Adams Ocean Front Motel and other Dewey Beach properties, said that as the town becomes more family-friendly, The Starboard remains a destination for good meals at affordable prices. The existing tent, however, can sometimes intimidate guests at his motel, as they often think a wedding or big event is going on.

The tent also, in his words, is ugly, and he thinks converting it to a pavilion will make it much more visually appealing, helping to enhance the value of his own property.

All public comment at the meeting was in favor of the change.

Outdoor dining in general has been wonderful for the town, Montgomery said. 

It has drastically changed the way people see The Starboard, he said, as they used to see it as a bar with a restaurant, to now a restaurant with a bar. Since adding outdoor dining, the restaurant has seen an increase in its ratio of food sales to alcohol sales.

“Today, Dewey Beach is a place [where] people come to eat,” he said. “Ten years ago, I’m not so sure that was the case.”