Effects of the heat advisory are playing out on the sidewalks of the North End.
Tables are all but empty at many restaurants in the neighborhood as temperatures soared well into the 90s again on Saturday.
Restauranteurs went back and forth with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu over the $7,500 fee to put out tables in public spaces this year -- fees which are higher here than in other neighborhoods in the city. Some restauranteurs have said that it hasn't been worth it with the impact the heat has had this summer.
"The heat…there’s no customers," said Joe Pagulica, the owner of a restaurant in the neighborhood. "There’s no customers out there. It’s kind of hot for us. We have to stand in the heat suffering. Plus, no business. I’ll be honest with you. I’d rather go buy pasta, my shrimps. Whatever I need for my restaurant right now. For me, that $10,000 wasn’t worth it at all."
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Pagulica says he’ll end outdoor dining outside his restaurant in September to save money.
Richard Ansara, owner of Tresca, said that most outdoor meals at his restaurant take place in the evening.
"Once the sun goes down it’s really not too bad," Ansara said. "With the sun bearing down on you it’s pretty unbearable. Having dinner here in the evening is fantastic. The weather has cooled down. There’s a light breeze."
Ansara said that in the kitchen at Tresca, temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees.
“The guys in the kitchen and the wait staff, we’ve just got to keep hydrated,” he said.
One patron for some al fresco dining on Saturday, Jimmy Sumberra, said that he and his family were accustomed to the heat, being from Houston, Texas.
“For sure it was a very hot day," he said "You needed to stay hydrated at all times. It’s hot, but I enjoy it because there’s a breeze sometimes.”
