The town of New Canaan will not be allowing street dining this year, according to a letter from the town that Rosie on Elm Street says it received last Tuesday.

"We were a little shocked," said Rose Bonura, the owner and chef at Rosie, "because we thought we were all set to go out on May 1," which is when the town's outdoor dining season begins.

Street dining had been allowed every year since COVID, which Bonura says, meant Rosie was able to add 20 extra seats in the parking spots in front of it.

"It was a really tough winter for us, and the summer months allow us to recoup some of that income," she said.

However in Tuesday's meeting, members of the New Canaan Board of Selectmen said street dining, and the town providing barriers for it, was never supposed to be a permanent set-up.

"We have to balance the needs of the retailers and the restaurants, and we need to get some of that parking back," said Dionna Carlson, the town's first selectman.

Pamela Alberino, who owns Ski and Sport up the road agreed that between the town recently charging for parking on Elm Street, and the loss of spots in the warmer months.

"It's not really easy for parking, and it's creating a lot of people not coming to town because of it," says Alberino.

However, without the street space, Bonura says Rosie will only be able to fit two two-person tables on their sidewalk, which is narrower and more uneven than others on Elm Street.

"Thirty percent more per week we'll lose in revenue," she predicted, "plus our wait staff depends on that."

The landlord of the building Rosie is in may let them put a few extra tables along the wall next to the restaurant, but Bonura says that would only add about six seats maximum.

"Because of ADA regulations of having 4-foot space (on the sidewalk), we can only do tables against the wall, which wouldn't allow a family of four to sit," she explained.

The staff has started a petition, asking the town to let them continue using the two parking spots in front, which got more than 470 signatures in a week.

"We are really doing this for our customers that really enjoy it," Bonura said.

While they have not heard anything directly from the town in response to it, and Tuesday's Board of Selectmen meeting, Carlson said "we can't provide parking for individual businesses in town, it has to be an overall plan for the community, not for one specific business."