Green Knoll Grille Pushing for Outdoor Live Music

With business waning as of late, representatives of the Green Knoll Grille made a request to the Township Committee recently for live music to be allowed on the outdoor patio.

Currently, the restaurant is only allowed to have a stereo on the outside patio.

At one time, the restaurant was allowed to have live music outside, but that right was revoked because of noise complaints and other issues.

But representatives are saying that now they are seeing a loss in business.

“They have lost 15 percent of business since the days when they were permitted to have outside music,” said Pasquale Marago, attorney for the Green Knoll Grille. “Some of that is related to some of the customers no longer being here because of industries that have closed down, and some of that is related to no live music.”

“The management has learned from customers that they are not interested in coming at night when they can go to the Stagehouse Tavern in Franklin, where there is live music,” he added.

The outside live music, Marago said, is more attractive to customers than the radio, which they can listen to in the car.

“It has a different ambiance,” he said.

Marago said the restaurant has sought capital funding to stay afloat, but Memorial Day to the end of September are the months that carry the business through the end of the year.

“There are some real-life concerns about keeping the business going,” he said. “They want to stay in business.”

Marago said the restaurant is trying to change its clientele, and has done some of that, by moving from a college crowd to more of a family atmosphere.

“The college crowd is now not interested,” he said. “This [new atmosphere] attracts families and older people who appreciate the music. They are not there to get fall-down drunk or get into fights with anyone, they are there to have dinner.”

If the council allows for the change in the restaurant’s liquor license to allow for outdoor live music, they are looking to allow for a one- or two-piece band and a vocalist.

“When you say amplified music, that gets everyone’s attention,” Marago said. “I know there was some objection from residents before about a disturbance. The Green Knoll Grille maintains they haven’t had enough noise to create a nuisance, but they accept the concerns.”

The restaurant is looking to have the outdoor music Thursdays from 7 to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m.

Marago said the restaurant is prepared to take a number of steps to help reduce the noise concerns even further.

The first, Marago said, is to hire someone to build a removable board to stand behind the band as an impromptu shell, which will not be tall enough to be seen from the street. From there, he said, the shell will be lined with sound absorbing blankets that are cut to the size of the plywood panels.

“They will line the panels and the covering over the band,” he said. “From what I understand from those who make it, it’s a minimum of 50 percent reduction in sound.”

“This is a significant expense that the Grille is willing to invest to be a good neighbor and make sure sound does not propagate toward the crossroads,” he added.

Marago said there was a sound study done a number of years ago, and it found that people hear everything else before the actual music, namely the sounds of Route 287 and Route 202/206, by a large margin.

“The sound on the patio was very small compared to other ambient sounds,” he said.

Marago said the restaurant understands that if the outdoor music is allowed, they will be monitored closely, and managers will make themselves available at all times if complaints about noise are recorded.

Councilman Matthew Moench said he is not opposed to the music outside, but he does want to ensure that the restaurant doesn’t take advantage if the township opts to allow it.

“I was vocal in supporting the Grille last time, and I consistently wanted to give the business latitude,” he said. “Last time, I got burned a little when someone else said that this is what it was going to be and then we got complaints that it was not what was represented.

“I want to make sure we are not being presented with one thing and then finding out it’s a different kind of band,” he added.

Marago said it will be low key music, usually a two-piece band playing, and sometimes a three-piece reggae band.

“We are not looking for a party, there is no dance floor,” he said. “The band will be stuck in a little corner in front of a makeshift band shell.”

Councilman Howard Norgalis said he would be interested in seeing a real test, with someone taking sound measurements of the band playing, and determining if the music can be heard by the nearby residents.

Marago said the restaurant would be fine with restrictions and more to ensure that they keep to the requirements of the liquor license if the council were to allow the outdoor music. He said his client does not want any more than they have asked for at this point.

“We will be happy with several restrictions, the kind of music to play, the reduced hours,” he said. “This could be temporary for the season and then we review it again.”

The council is still considering the options of the request, and any restrictions to be placed on the request, but no decision has been made as of yet.