Chilly weekend causing concern for outdoor dining

With cooler temperatures setting in, restaurant owners across Massachusetts are making plans for how to continue outdoor dining into the fall and winter seasons.

PREVIOUS: Boston to extend outdoor dining permits through Dec. 1

On Hanover Street in the North End of Boston, diners got their first taste of fall weather on Friday.

“We’ll have to see how it goes when it gets really cold,” said John Calderara, who was having dinner with his wife.

On Thursday, Boston’s licensing board decided to extend outdoor dining on public property until December.

“I don’t know if it’s going to work, believe it or not. But we can try,” said Francesco Graceffa, owner of Doce Vita.

Graceffa said he was considering buying five heat lamps for his street space, but with tents not allowed in the city, he was unsure how to keep the warm air contained.

“Heat lamps, are they going to help? I’m not so sure,” he said.

Graceffa and other owners in the city will also have to pack up their outdoor dining setup every time it snows.

That way, snowplows can safely make their way through the streets.

Graceffa said that the piercing cold city wind will likely also become an issue.

“They’re looking maybe to allow us to put up some plexiglass. So probably it will stop the wind.”

Those wind tunnels may not be as big of a concern in the suburbs, where outdoor dining restrictions tend to be a bit more relaxed.

On Moody Street in Waltham, restaurant owners said they hope to embrace the beauty of winter weather.

“We’re encouraging our customers to come prepared for whatever elements might be,” said Erin Barnicle, general manager of the restaurant Tempo. “Bringing cozy blankets, their jackets, and just enjoying the el fresco dining in the cold.”

Barnicle said they’re considering adding cold weather cocktails to keep customers intrigued, and plan to shovel out their dining spaces if it snows.

On Sept. 24, the city will decide whether or not to extend outdoor dining. If it does, restaurant owners said they hope it will be through December.

Boston 25 News asked diners if they would continue to dine outside as the temperatures drop.

“That’s the million dollar question,” said Edwidge LaFluer. “It would be great if we could sit outside but you know, cold weather would not be very pleasant.”

Cox Media Group