outdoor dining

A Maine couple is getting ready to start selling an invention that they dreamed up out of pandemic necessity. Over the past four months, Jocelyn Olsen and Colin Greig have developed a battery-powered, heated seat cushion and created their own company to sell them. Their business is named Hüga, which is a spin on the Danish word “hygge” which...

A couple in Portland, Maine, thinks they invented the answer to comfortable outdoor dining during the winter: heated seat cushions.

If you’ve ever wanted to eat inside an igloo in New England, here is some good news: Several Patriot Place restaurants are now offering heated igloos to outdoor diners this winter. The idea is that guests can come out of the cold to enjoy a unique and safe dining experience, Patriots Place announced Friday. Groups of six or less...

People will be able to eat outside throughout the winter in Brookline now that officials extended their outdoor dining season. The town launched the Winter Outdoor Dining Pilot Program in an attempt to support restaurants – an industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants can continue to offer outdoor seating as long as they adhere to a…

The town of Brookline launched the Winter Outdoor Dining Pilot Program in an attempt to support restaurants – an industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outdoor dining will return to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on March 1, 2021, weather permitting, the City Council decided. The City Council voted unanimously on the date Monday, saying it was giving struggling restaurants “a small ounce of predictability” by guaranteeing the return of outdoor dining. City officials also said they expect to extend the mask mandate for public areas until…

Boston is bringing back its outdoor dining program in the spring, an initiative started this year to help restaurants survive during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Marty Walsh announced Thursday. Online applications for the program scheduled to start April 1 — earlier if weather allows — are being accepted now, the mayor said in a statement. Under the program, restaurants may…

Mayor Marty Walsh announced Thursday the launch of an outdoor dining pilot program for 2021, building on Boston’s ongoing commitment to supporting restaurants during COVID-19. Walsh said we saw the benefits that outdoor dining can have in the city’s neighborhoods this year — the city approved more than 550 requests for restaurants in 2020.

Tents and outdoor dining have become very popular. So why not at Thanksgiving? “I just feel like in 2020, you have to roll with the punches,” said Carolynn MacKay of Milton, Massachusetts. MacKay and her family have rented a tent for Thanksgiving. They’ll be dining al fresco this holiday to help keep vulnerable family members protected from the spread of…

A lot of people are trying to heed health warnings about large gatherings for Thanksgiving, so some have decided to serve dinner in large tents outdoors.

With the weather getting colder in Massachusetts and coronavirus cases spiking nationwide, restaurant workers are voicing concerns about safety as the outdoor dining season ends. Tracy Chang never envisioned an empty dining room at her well-appointed Cambridge restaurant, Pagu. But with tables pushed to the side, and her dining room now exclusively catering takeout and delivery, it’s Chang’s new...

As we head into winter months without outdoor dining, some restaurant workers are concerned about their safety.

A couple of months ago, it was reported that expanded outdoor dining areas in Boston would be allowed to continue until at least through December 1 as the pandemic continued. Now we have learned that this is the end date, at least for temporary patios in public spaces. Two sources, including Patrick Maguire of Maguire Promotions & Hospitality Consulting, told...

Starting Dec. 1, restaurants will no longer be able to use sidewalks and parking lanes for outdoor dining.

Early snow Friday has increased concerns among Boston restaurant owners about a looming end to outdoor dining, something many have been relying on amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With a lot of empty patios around the City of Boston Friday night — which saw a record for snowfall in October — and more likely closing soon, restaurants hope they can…

Restaurants in Boston’s North End are hoping they can still get enough business indoors to stay open.

It was a cold, rainy and empty Wednesday night for outdoor dining in Boston’s North End, a stark contrast from the hustle and bustle of the warm summer months. Ted Kennedy, co-owner of Lucca Restaurant and Bar on Hanover Street, says the cold weather means outdoor dining has come to an end. He knew this time would come. “We...

As the weather gets colder and we look ahead to the possibility of snow, outdoor dining is becoming less popular, raising questions for restaurants relying on it.

Outdoor dining in Maine in winter? Portland is extending restaurants’ permits into January.

There’s a push to extend outdoor dining past the Nov. 1 deadline in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, while possibly turning downtown into a “winter ski village.” Many downtown restaurants don’t have a lot of space indoors, so makeshift patios on city property have been a lifesaver. But now, that November deadline is looming. “You know, everything has been a worry...