Connecticut Restaurants Get Creative with Heated Outdoor Dining Options

How can you even think about making a dinner reservation for outdoor dining in January?

My wife and I are just not ready for indoor dining in a COVID pandemic world because we're both over 60 and we choose not to take that chance. To remain in business, many restauranteurs across Connecticut are finding it necessary to offer winterized outdoor seating to survive.

According to an article on the website wellandgood.com, the Foundry Kitchen & Tavern in Sandy Hook co-owner, Kate Neugold, plans on utilizing their outdoor patio for as long as the weather allows. She also said that they're making some changes to make it cozy and warm for their patrons.

We invested in insulating our covered patio section and we will be getting heating lamps.

According to an article in the Hartford Courant, at Millwright's in Simsbury, they're building eight small greenhouses outdoors to provide a private dining experience for parties of two, four, and up to 14. Each greenhouse will be equipped with its own heater and sound system.

At Toro Loco in Farmington, they're assembling heated plastic igloos with room for four. In a previous article titled, 'How Will CT Restaurants Handle Outdoor Dining During the Winter,' I told you about a contest that the Chicago Tribune was conducting called The Restaurant Design Challenge.

The winners have been chosen and the top two were "Heated Tables" and 'Cozy Cabin', an enclosed little hut that can fit within a standard parking space. Retrofitting a restaurant so that you can seat patrons outdoors in a heated setting can be cost-prohibitive, not to mention, many eateries simply don't have any extra space.

Recent data from the CDC found that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were two times as likely to have eaten out than people who tested negative. If you're not ready to dine indoors, the best way to support your favorite restaurants is to order takeout as often as your budget allows.