topic Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining in Community Chat

Streets Closed for Outside Dining

Biftu — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 01:35:03 GMT

My town has many restaurants (no chains) and this weekend they closed off the streets for outdoor dining. The town was jumping! As I drove by it was so nice to see people out and about like usual enjoying themselves and good to see restaurants making money and employing people. I'm still not comfortable doing this, but it put a smile on my face to remember how life used to be.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

proudlyfromNJ — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 01:45:31 GMT

@Biftu wrote:
My town has many restaurants (no chains) and this weekend they closed off the streets for outdoor dining. The town was jumping! As I drove by it was so nice to see people out and about like usual enjoying themselves and good to see restaurants making money and employing people. I'm still not comfortable doing this, but it put a smile on my face to remember how life used to be.

@Biftu Ours have been open for outside dining for awhile. Indoor opened month or so ago. We did the street closed one Saturday a few weeks ago. Bands playing etc. lots of fun and people behaving themselves.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

Pearlee — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 01:46:09 GMT

@Biftu, how nice of your town to do that! Like you, I'm not very trusting of restaurants at this point either, but I can imagine how fun it was to see some semblance of normal activity again. Thanks for sharing!

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

Meowingkitty — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 02:05:58 GMT

We can't eat outside because of the high heat. It was 117 today. Fortunately our restaurants are open for inside dining and we eat at one at least once a week without issues. Maybe we can eat outside in December.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

ROMARY — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 02:27:05 GMT

Nice to have a bit of live music, too.

A harp, or an accordian, or piano, or light band.

Btw, I used to love listening to accordian music, a hundred years ago. I thought, Gee, a portable 'band' in one instrument.

Are accordians being played now-a-days?

Haven't seen them in ages, it seems.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

stevieb — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 03:22:24 GMT

@Biftu I completely get it. Any semblance of life as we knew it and hope to know it again is incredibly heartening to see.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

Linmo — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 04:14:26 GMT

Here in my small town, our downtown main street is closed so the restaurants can offer more outdoor seating. On Saturday nights, there's not only music, but also dancing in the street.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

SunSprite — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 10:50:19 GMT

This week is "restaurant week" in some cities (not mine, ours comes later). Some places also do a longer period of time than a week.

I have a friend that lives in Greenville, SC and she mentioned how the local restaurants have increased their outside dining to accomodate all the additional customers for their restaurant week.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

kaydee50 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 12:18:20 GMT

Some of the streets here have been closed to traffic so restaurants can have outdoor dining. It has been successful and more streets have been closed to cars. I have no problem eating indoors and have done so at least a half a dozen times in the past few weeks. For us, one of the joys of life!!!

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

Sooner — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 15:08:38 GMT

@Meowingkitty wrote:
We can't eat outside because of the high heat. It was 117 today. Fortunately our restaurants are open for inside dining and we eat at one at least once a week without issues. Maybe we can eat outside in December.

@Meowingkitty Heat index 107 here today. I was thinking the same thing! We aren't eating out yet. But we are high risk.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

Abrowneyegirl — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 15:15:58 GMT

Our area is doing the same concept.

Blocking off the streets.

Offering live music

Tents for shade

But unfortunately, it is too hot and humid.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

wilma — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:43:43 GMT

My city recently did this too. It’s especially helpful for smaller restaurants that sit right on street fronts that don’t have parking lots. Our restaurants still are at 50% capacity.

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

I am still oxox — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:47:05 GMT

Just back from lunch the outside tables arranged on the sidewalk, the sushi was great, have not had it in a long time. The weather here in the NY area is sublime

Re: Streets Closed for Outside Dining

lovesrecess — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 20:56:59 GMT

The restaurants out where we live have dining rooms open but when we drive by there is not a single car in the parking lot...maybe one car in the takeout area.