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Image source,Christina Bear
Outdoor dome at Woods Hill Pier restaurant in Boston, USA
For Boston restaurant owner Kristin Canty, the choice is cruel: find a way to allow customers to sit outside without freezing or risking closing.
After experiencing peak cookout season, Northern Hemisphere restaurants and bars are faced with a dilemma: how to retain customers who want to stay outdoors in winter and keep them warm.
Experts say that the spread of the new coronavirus outdoors is slower than indoors. For this reason, restaurants are working hard to meet the needs of customers who think it is safer to be outdoors.
Canty is the owner of the restaurant on Woods Hill Pier in Boston, USA. She built an outdoor dome that can accommodate many people.
“We hope they can extend our cookout season,” Canty told the BBC. “It’s hard to say if my investment can be recovered right now. It depends on the weather this winter and how long they can last.”
The restaurant is located on the harbor, and the open-air dome allows patrons to enjoy the scenery while eating while maintaining social distance.
“If we can achieve great success and keep it, and we can even replicate it next year, then maybe the investment will be worth it,” he said.
Candi said that facts have shown that these buildings are very popular with customers, and other restaurants have asked her about these buildings.
“Some people want to order it, some have asked for yurts, some have enclosed the patio with plastic and heaters, and some have bought large tents. Everyone should make good use of their space.” She said, “We All are trying to innovate so that customers come back and feel safe in this environment.”
“Fighting the British climate”
In London, many restaurants have opened outdoor dining areas and are looking for ways to expand the area.
In Tottenham, north London, Beaverton Brewery invested in the construction of a large marquee. “The Beaverton Brewery bar reopened in July for the first time in months. It’s great to welcome people to try their first drink.” Beavertown Experience Manager Waite (Meghan Waites) said.
Image source,Beavertown
Beavertown Winery
“In the winter months, we hope that the bar can be fully operational. We will put up tents and outside heating to counter the British weather.”
John Scanlon, general manager of Pop Art 45 Hotel, said his CUT restaurant has added heaters and blankets to the outdoor dining area. They also used high partitions to separate the dining room from the street and make the environment as private as possible.
“I hope to do this year-round so that customers who want to eat outside can eat outside,” he said. “If you have a choice, more and more diners want to sit outside.”
Cy Oldham bought heaters and other things for his bar in Chicago.
“Chicago is known for its harsh, cold and windy winters. So I mean if you can get through two months like this, it will be worth it,” he said.
Oldham’s idea was to print branded blankets and offer a variety of hot drinks. “Taking everything into account, gas, heaters, blankets, hot coffee counters, these cost me about $ 10,000.”
Image source,Cy oldham
Oldham bought heaters and other things for his bar in Chicago
Said customer response was very good. “The people of Upper Town are very happy to have a place to go because they see that all other places are closed.”
But all these expenses are not unique. “I have to pay these costs every day, every time I go to add propane tanks, this is an additional cost,” he said.
Environmental disputes
In fact, the demand for heaters has grown substantially and some restaurants say they can no longer order them.
Pete Arnold, CEO of US outdoor heater maker AEI Corporation, said demand this year has “at least doubled” compared to the same period in previous years.
He told Quartz: “We have been in this industry for over 55 years and we have never seen the same demand as in the last 90 days.”
Although these heaters are effective at keeping you warm, they have been criticized by environmentalists who claim they use too much energy and cause unnecessary carbon emissions.
Some places like France have already banned these heaters, but in France this regulation will not take effect until next year, and French Minister of Ecology Barbara Pompili called outdoor heating or air conditioning an “ecological aberration.”
However, as the new corona epidemic continues, some cities have begun to reconsider using heaters to help the hotel industry. According to the American news website Axios, New York City allows more outdoor heaters, including propane.
