The City of Eatonton Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing Aug. 8, to consider amendments to the city’s zoning ordinances regarding bed-and-breakfast (BnB) operations, specifically regarding rules for food service to non-BnB diners for special events.
After hearing from several local citizens, including Dot2Dot Inn owners Karen and Richard Garrett, who served as the catalyst for the issue, the five-person commission voted unanimously to recommend approval. The final say remains, however, with Eatonton City Council, which will consider the matter Aug. 15, during its next scheduled meeting.
Beginning in 2018, shortly after moving from Boston to their historic home on South Washington Ave., near downtown Eatonton, the Garretts opened Dot2Dot as a BnB and soon began hosting fine-dining opportunities coinciding with local attractions like Plaza Theater productions or Georgia Writers Museum events.
“My wife is a cordon bleu chef; we have a commercial kitchen; we have a Georgia food service license, and Eatonton we felt really could do with more higher-end dining options,” Richard Garrett explained after the P&Z vote. “So it was off to a great start, very popular, very successful, but everyone knew—the city included—that the rules didn’t quite accommodate it, so the goal was always let’s figure it out.”
Among those in support of the measure was Peter Carroll, who made the trek down from Greensboro just to address the commission.
“Pre-event dining would certainly enhance the experience of a concert, dramatic performance, exhibit opening,” Carroll said at the podium.
“Adding this level of fine food service would certainly provide yet another positive reason to support the business and economy of our neighbors in Eatonton.”
Local resident Ann Laidlaw then stated before the commission that she feels Eatonton would benefit financially from allowing on-site catering to non-BnB customers. She pointed out establishments like Dot2Dot could provide Putnam County residents with alternatives to driving to Madison or Greensboro or Milledgeville for dinner and a night out. It may even encourage customers to patronize other Eatonton businesses, such as florists, if local BnBs are allowed to host and feed wedding parties or other celebratory events, she suggested.
“All of us benefit from supporting an innovative and unique business in our community,” Laidlaw said. “Permitting BnBs to host events, brunches and parties helps the entire community and showcases historic properties in an appropriate way. This also helps make it feasible to preserve historic homes. Fine dining in Eatonton will help visitors and residents enjoy our historic downtown and museums.”
The Garretts left the meeting feeling cautiously optimistic, especially after one councilmember suggested an extension of their original request to remain open to 10 p.m. daily, to include 11 p.m. instead on Friday and Saturday nights.
“That was a nice surprise, although I’m not sure I even want to be open that late,” Karen Garrett admitted. “But it would be nice to have that option, I suppose.”
Her husband agreed, then emphasized they are not seeking regular restaurant rules or hours for their business.
“What we’re trying to do with the city’s help is allow our bed-and-breakfast to formally have this conditional use where we can serve food to non-lodging guests, people not staying there.
But we’re not going to be open every day by any means; it’s event based,” he stressed.
“We want to do special events because they’re an opportunity to use a big historic house, an expensive to run historic house, for another reason to come there, to allow people to come in, experience the house, experience the grounds, just make it more of a destination.”