Outside, Yet Still Inside- MN Restaurant Extends Outdoor Dining

During the Summer months, when restaurants were able to open up after the shutdown, many restaurants moved their seating outside.  People felt more comfortable dining out if they were able to sit outside.  But here in Minnesota, that gets to be a challenge when we have the cold weather approaching.  Even though it can be pretty, and the idea is sort of novel, it's not really practical to have outdoor seating on any sort of regular basis in Minnesota.

There is a restaurant in Wayzata that is trying the igloo/dome dining this season.  This is something that a few other restaurants have tried.  It was really something that wasn't really taken seriously...until now. Before I think it was just looked at like "oh, hey, this is kinda cool".  But now, it might be more of a necessity.

Minnesotans don't want to see restaurants going under because of the fact that COVID protocols are keeping patrons from dining in as much as they would like to.  But, it's a great option to keep the outside dining going throughout the colder months.  The other option is to use the heaters... but this really only works earlier in the season. The heaters are no match for a Minnesota winter in January.

This past Thursday, Ninetwentyfive in Wayzata put up some igloos on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant.

The igloos seat up to eight people each and come with blankets which are changed out and washed between each reservation. 

So, yes, reservations are required.  But we've been used to that for months, now.  But with this restaurant, you might want to plan earlier than you have been.  The idea is there because we all know that there are many people who are just more comfortable going out to eat if they can eat outside.

I think this would be a great idea for more restaurants... as far as the cost?  That might be a deciding factor.  Stay tuned.