Outdoor restaurants trying to heat up sales
Local venues have mixed feelings about outdoor heating lamps
They won’t grant you three wishes, but more and more local restaurants are turning to outdoor heating lamps as a possible savior.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many local restaurants have had to adjust to the difficult times by creating outdoor dining areas including parklets, tents and canopys. With winter approaching and the temperatures dropping, many establishments have decided to purchase heating lamps for these areas.
However, many venues and their patrons aren’t warming up to the idea, especially the cost of the items.
Ismael Palacio, co- owner of Bambino’s Vallejo, located on Georgia Street, bought a few heaters in August, but the price and demand has gone up considerably since then.
“I bought three heaters in August for $99 each, but now they are around $300 each,” Palacio said. “I want to add two more online but it’s been difficult to get one. Places like Walmart and Home Depot are constantly sold out. People are buying them up as if they were bread.”
On Amazon, a Pyrami- d Patio Propane Heater 13000W 42000BTU is currently selling for $270, while a Hiland HLDSO1WGTHG Pyramid Patio Propane Heater w/ Wheels, that is 87 Inches, and Hammered Bronze is currently selling for $457.99 on amazon.com. On Home Depot’s website, a Hampton Bay42,000
BTU Gold Gas Patio Heater is selling for $209, but delivery is currently unavailable.
T his week Va llejo’s weather forecast has high’s in the mid- 60’s, but also as cold as the high 30’s. According to weather.com, the low for Vallejo on Tuesday is 36 degrees with a high of 63 degrees.
So are the heaters worth it? Well, yes and no.
Palacio says the heaters have helped to a certain degree with Bambino’s.
“They’ve been a huge help. If we didn’t have them,
I don’t think we would be able to have people sit outside,” Palacio said. “We don’t have a canopy or parklet yet, so we need them. People are switching to warmer foods to order off the menu as well, so that has helped. T his week we’re adding a cream of potato soup to the menu because people want the warmer dishes in this weather. It’s not like the summer any more w ith people ordering salads.”
Momo’s Cafe on Georgia Street has tried to order the heaters, but with no luck.
“We’ve been looking for them on all kinds of websites, but everyone is out of stock,” Momo’s Cafe owner Manny Melendrez said. “But they are also around $400 which is too high.”
Nicole Hodge, owner of Provisions on Virginia Street, said the heaters she has aren’t worth it.
“We have four of them, but we don’t use them always at the same time. It varies on how many people are here,” Hodge said. “They were around $250, but honestly, I don’t think they help much because you can only have one of them per group of people. They cost a lot to run so it doesn’t make much sense to have them going at all times. After you pay for them you also have to pay another $20 to $30 to refill. So no, I don’t think they have been helping much.”
Lucca Bar and Grill owner Jan Lucca said he had a heat lamp for his establishment in Benicia, but due to restrictions made by the fire department, they can’t be used in a tent.
“I think the bigger issue is not every establishment and restaurant have been following the rules and that’s unfair to places that have been following orders,” Lucca said. “But nobody wants to call out a neighboring business.”
Still, Lucca has approximately 30 tables outside, so he knows he needs to keep his patrons warm. Currently he’s testing out a different type of heater, a white propane one that blows out air into an area from outside that specific space.
“Since we can’t put the heater inside a tent, we are trying this one and we’ll see how it works. I just got it today,” Lucca said. “I’m renting it for $140 a week or $400 a month. But it’s kind of a catch-22. We want to keep our customers warm, but at the same time the tide is turning and they aren’t going to be as forgiving as they were in the start of the pandemic.”