Palm Beach OKs outdoor café seating, expanded membership for Carriage House social club

Two years after opening its doors, the Carriage House won approval Wednesday to increase its membership and add outdoor restaurant seating.

In a unanimous vote, the Town Council approved the private club's request to add 75 new members and potentially 150 more during the next three years, and transfer 40 of its approved indoor dining seats to outdoor courtyard seating.

Council members also approved a special exception request related to supplemental off-site shared parking and a variance request that would eliminate the on-site parking space requirement created for increased private club membership.

"The waiting lists are very, very long, and folks need a pleasant place to go to socialize with their peers," council member Lew Crampton told Carriage House officials who were in the audience. "You have provided that, and that's a benefit to the town. It's not just a benefit to the individuals. We care about the quality of life here, and this is a contribution to the quality of life."

Carriage House, an English-style, members-only social club modeled after an upscale private nightclub in London, opened in March 2022. It offers dining spaces, a large courtyard, a reading room, seating rooms, parlor, wine room, three bars and numerous lounge areas.

The club occupies two landmarked buildings: the ground floor of 270 S. County Road, and the entire building at 264 S. County Road. The two buildings are connected by an open-air courtyard.

The town council in February 2019 gave permission for the club to open but attached 31 operating conditions as part of a declaration of use agreement.

A proposal in October 2022 to reopen the agreement in order to add outdoor café seating was rejected by the Town Council on a 3-2 vote, with those in opposition citing a provision that the club could not ask for any modifications within two years of opening.

Council member Ted Cooney acknowledged Wednesday that he opposed reopening the agreement at the time, but he fully supported the club's request to add outdoor restaurant seating, noting that neighbors in the Phipps Plaza Historic District had endorsed it.

"In my first year on this council, I found myself in the uncomfortable position of being the tie-breaking vote on the last request for outdoor seating, which I did not support," he said. "They had to wait for this. That was important to me because of the two-year, no-change commitment that was in the original declaration of use agreement, and I wanted to be fair to members. That's what swayed my decision one way or another.

"I will compliment the club," he added. "An endorsement from neighbors really is reflective of you being a successful business partnership within this community. The club has been a wonderful addition to the town."

In a presentation to the council Wednesday, Carriage House CEO Mario Pederzolli said the club planned to transfer 40 of its approved indoor dining seats to outdoor seating. The shift would not increase the seating counts above the prior approved total of 153 (67 at lunch).

Pederzolli noted that Carriage House is the only private club on the island that does not offer outdoor seating, so council approval would be necessary to orientate it with other such clubs on the island.

"So many other establishments, including other members' clubs and many restaurants, have outdoor dining," Pederzolli said. "In some cases, the seats are roadside, whereas we are enclosed. So today is an opportunity to approve us and bring us in line with all the other clubs on the island."

In good weather, the seats would be placed within the club's private courtyard, he added. Dining would be complete by 10 p.m., and there would be no music in the courtyard. Filling restaurant seats at the Carriage House, whether indoor or outdoor, is key to the club's success, Pederzolli said.

Though the club is approved for 153 seats, only 39% were occupied in November, he told the council. That percentage rose slightly in December (42%), January (43%) and February (43%), with March topping out at 44%. Increasing membership would help fill those seats, Pederzolli said.

"The conclusion is clear," he said. "We do not need more capacity. We simply require more members. This is all we ask after two years of operating as best we can and in accordance with our declaration of use. We clearly need more members, as 44% occupancy is just not sustainable."

The club currently has 232 members, and adding 75 for the 2024-25 season would bring that total to 307. The club agreed to return to the council next year as part of a modified declaration of use agreement and ask for additional memberships if there were no issues with the first expansion.

Another 75 memberships could be added for the 2026-27 season, bringing the total to 457 members.

"We will come back in each successive year and present our case and our findings and our capacity," Pederzolli said. "By doing this, and why we are happy to do this, is we are ensuring a phased and gradual approach for two reasons.

"Number one, we shall monitor our capacity as we do now to ensure that all of our members continue to enjoy the club. Number two, and arguably the most important point of all, our reputation is built on the reputation we have with the members we serve. The very last thing we would ever want to do is risk that relationship with our members. It means more to us than anything else."

Pederzolli noted that 86% of Carriage House members are town residents, while 80% of potential members on the waiting list live on the island.

"We are truly town-serving," he said.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach OK's outdoor café seating for Carriage House social club