CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Outdoor dining and winter weather aren’t a great combination, so one Charlotte restaurant came up with a solution so its customers aren’t left out in the cold.
The Goodyear House in NoDa has added plastic igloos to their outdoor patio that are designed to keep customers safe from COVID-19 and the elements.
Channel 9 reporter Elsa Gillis spoke with the restaurant’s manager, Sean Potter, who said they are trying to adapt to new state regulations while keeping everyone safe.
“Everything we do is in response to COVID right now, and the different regulations and changes. We want to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem; and we want to stay ahead of the curve,” he said.
The igloos allow patrons to be on their own bubble. Diners have the option to close up the igloo or keep it open for ventilation.
Potter said reservations are spaced out so they can clean and air out the igloos between each party.
“We’ll wipe down the entire igloo. We use this CleanForce product that kills 99.9% of the COVID-19. Then we’ll unzip the flaps and leave it open for 15-20 minutes to air it out,” he explained.
The Mayo Clinic rates spaced out, patio dining at restaurants as low to moderate risk.
Linsey Marr, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, said people are probably safest when they dine out with the people with whom they live.
“I feel like it’s only prudent to go in there with people in your own household or people in your own pod,” she said.
Potter said he’s received positive feedback from customers.
“People that are weary about going out to eat at a restaurant because they don’t want to sit around -- even though everything in our restaurant is spaced 6 feet apart -- they still don’t want to sit in the same room as somebody else, and this gives you an opportunity to go to a restaurant … and only stay within your own bubble,” he said.
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