BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the weather patterns change here in Western New York to more colder weather, local restaurants need to decide what to do with their outdoor dining, which many restaurants have relied on amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Some restaurants are getting creative to still offer an outdoor dining experience.
Santora’s Pizza Pub and Grill on Transit Road in Amherst was busy over the weekend, not only cheering on the Bills, but also enclosing their outdoor tents, in anticipation of colder temperatures and harsher weather.
"Not only just for the fact of the cold weather, but we added some TV’s for football and stuff like that so we want to keep them rain free and so on and so forth," said Paul Santora, the owner of Santora's Pizza Pub and Grill.
The tents can’t be fully enclosed, because there’s a fireplace on the patio and that would be against the fire code.
Santora says it’s possible more heating could be added.
"We’re trying to figure out whether or not we’re going to get some additional heatings to extend the season, we’re kind of playing the guests out as they come in," Santora said.
Down Transit at Duff’s, they have put in heating to make guests feel comfortable.
At Osteria 166 in downtown Buffalo, the restaurant is in the process of expanding capacity on its second floor – still within state guidelines.
The owner of Osteria, Nick Patillo says he too, will bring in heaters while still holding out hope.
"For our specific situation we are bringing some heaters in and we will hold on with our fingernails for those Indian summer nights and days really but the majority of our business will be focused on inside," Patillo said.
Every restaurant is facing the same situation – how to continue to bring in business in a COVID world as the seasons change.
"We’re trying to create an environment that is safe we’re trying to make the guest feel safe so it’s all about their experience right?" Santora said.
On Chippewa in Buffalo, just last week, the city extended the partial road closure to help restaurants with their outdoor dining. The closure was supposed to be lifted around Labor Day, but that has been extended by a month.
