Outdoor dining: Three reasons the cold months won’t be all bad
“If you build a winterized outdoor patio, they still might not come,” said Jaya Saxena in Eater.com. But that worry hasn’t stopped restaurateurs around the country from aspiring to survive the cold months ahead by inventing ways to extend the season for outdoor eating. Diners will be seeing heat lamps, plastic igloos, and open-sided tents everywhere. Below, three eateries that are pushing the possibilities even further. EastEats Detroit Launched in response to the pandemic, this weeks-old venture has no brick-and-mortar presence but spreads a dozen canvas geodesic domes across a formerly vacant lot, said the Detroit Free Press. Ten accommodate parties of eight, two shelter the service staff, and chef Nygel Fyvie prepares his Asian-inspired vegan-forward menu in an on-site food truck. “Who knows? If EastEats takes off, it could be replicated elsewhere.”
Aurum Food & Wine Steamboat Springs, Colo. In a high-end spin on the same theme, Phillips Armstrong is erecting eight-seat yurts outside his ski-resort bistro, and he has thought of everything, said Inc.com. Heat will come from a hanging infrared lamp, fur coats and Pendleton blankets will be supplied, and servers won’t enter from the cold except when diners tap a light switch to summon them. The minimum weekend tab: $800. Woodfired Cantina St. Paul, Minn. There’s no fighting a Minnesota winter, said the
St. Paul Pioneer Press, so this festive Mexi-Cali bar and eatery plans to celebrate it instead. Owner Brian Ingram will be erecting an unheated 30-by-30 inflatable igloo on the restaurant’s patio, and when temperatures drop far enough, the Alaska native will outfit the space with a bar, chairs, and tables carved from ice.