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February 21, 2025

Friday Food Insider: Winter parking bans add to seasonal headache for some restaurants

Brickyard Hollow building and snow Photo / Alexis Wells This was the scene outside of Brickyard Hollow in Portland on Friday morning, a few days after the most recent storm.
By Alexis Wells

Snow season is traditionally the slow season for restaurants, and for some even more so when cities impose parking bans or the white stuff hasn't yet been cleared from streets and sidewalks.

"We are three days out from the snowstorm, yet the sidewalks are still a hazard and my guests are still complaining about side streets not having enough room to park," Tyler VanScoy, an owner of Catface Cafe in Biddeford, told Mainebiz earlier this week. A weekend storm dumped several inches of snow across the state. 

Catface, which VanScoy co-owns with Krista Cole, is located at 17 Alfred Road. VonScoy said he hopes the city will communicate better about how small businesses and residents can mitigate the effects of parking bans.

Up the road, at Time & Tide Coffee at 35 Main St., owner Jon Phillips said his business has seen a 35% drop in sales during days with parking bans.

"Obviously, some people are staying home because of the weather, but for sure, some people stay away because of the parking ban," he said. "Not all days with announced parking bans end up having weather that is so bad people need to or want to stay home."

Time&Tide Coffee in Biddeford exterior
Photo / Alexis Wells
Time & Tide Coffee is located at 35 Main St. in Biddeford.

He also noted that while the city has made some tweaks the ban, allowing cars to park on Main Street during certain hours, it's up to business owners to inform customers when it's OK to park downtown.

"I would love to see clearer and more consistent language in the parking ban announcements," he said.

Delilah Poupore, the executive director of Heart of Biddeford, said the city understands that big storms impact businesses but has been working to change its policies.

"It would make a huge difference to businesses if people who live in the downtown and all the mills make it a point to head out for a walk to their favorite business when the storms hit," she suggested. "In order for our businesses to survive through the winter, they really truly rely on the repeat business of the most local fans."

Weathering the storm 

Not all restaurants have issues with parking bans.

"It has not affected us in any noticeable way," said Brad Moll, owner of Brickyard Hollow Brewing Co., a beer and pizza business with 10 locations from Ogunquit to Skowhegan and Augusta. "Things are generally slower around the storms anyway."

Tina Cromwell, owner of Bam Bam Bakery in Falmouth and Lorraine Fagela, owner of Sweets and Co. in Saco, both said that bans haven't had an impact on their businesses.

"The ban doesn't actually affect us, since our hours are either before or after," Fagela explained.

Take the Mainebiz poll of winter parking bans. Do parking bans affect your plans or do you venture out during snowstorms? The Mainebiz Food Insider wants to hear from you! Contact Alexis Wells at awells@mainebiz.biz.

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