Outdoor dining, also known as al fresco dining or dining alfresco, is the act of eating a meal outside.
In temperate climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining that is casual and often party-like in its atmosphere. [1]
In order to promote and accommodate the pedestrian activity and vibrancy associated with al fresco dining, some communities have passed ordinances permitting it at restaurants, including the service of food and alcoholic beverages to customers at pavement tables, until late at night. [2]
The phrase al fresco composed of two words, is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool/fresh [air]". It is not in current use in Italian to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori ("outside", "outdoor") or all'aperto ("in the open [air]"). [3] In Italian, the expression al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail. [4]
In 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities increased the options for restaurants to offer outdoor dining, in order to promote open space, encourage social distancing, and help businesses economically recover from the pandemic's impact. [5] In New York City, 10,600 restaurants had enrolled in the city's outdoor dining program by September 2020, compared to just 1,023 sidewalk cafes that existed before the pandemic. [6] The use of bubble tents or outdoor dining pods also increased during the pandemic. [7] [8] Before the pandemic these pod installations were very rare. Although these pods offer better protection against the virus, they have been criticized for their lack of air ventilation. [9]
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. It operates 219 full-service restaurants: 206 under the Cheesecake Factory brand and 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe brand, not including the number of restaurants operated under the North Italia nor any of Fox Restaurant Brands' names. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities—in Calabasas, California, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina—and licenses two bakery-based menus for other foodservice operators under the Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe marque. Its cheesecakes and other baked goods can also be found in the cafes of many Barnes & Noble stores.
A sidewalk cafe or pavement cafe is "a portion of an eating or drinking place, located on a public sidewalk, that provides waiter or waitress service" ; the area is used solely for dining. Sidewalk cafes are of two types: enclosed and unenclosed, the former being surrounded by a single-story structure and the latter being an area of the sidewalk that contains removable tables, chairs, and railings.
Du-par's is a diner-style restaurant in Los Angeles, California, that was once a modest-sized regional chain. The first location was founded in 1938 at the Los Angeles Farmers Market by James Dunn and Edward Parsons, who combined their surnames to create the restaurant's name. There is also an associated franchised restaurant in a Las Vegas casino.
Argyle Street is located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is approximately 460 metres long and stretches four city blocks to the west of, and parallel to, Barrington Street from Duke Street to Blowers Street. The street is a popular centre for live music, nightlife, theatre, and al fresco dining.
Res Ipsa Cafe was a restaurant and café located in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. It was a collaboration between the owners of Philadelphia cafe chain ReAnimator Coffee and Tyler Akin, a chef and the owner of Philadelphia restaurant Stock.
Clyde Common was a restaurant and market in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business opened in 2007. In 2020, Clyde Common closed temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening in July with outdoor dining and as a market. The bar and restaurant became known as Clyde Tavern, and the part of the former dining area was called Common Market. Clyde Common closed permanently in January 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic affects the global food industry as governments close down restaurants and bars to slow the spread of the virus. Across the world, restaurants' daily traffic dropped precipitously compared to the same period in 2019. Closures of restaurants caused a ripple effect among related industries such as food production, liquor, wine, and beer production, food and beverage shipping, fishing, and farming.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic affected the city of Columbus, Ohio, as Ohio's stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations into 2021. The shutdown led to protests at the Ohio Statehouse, the state capitol building.
Carbone is an Italian-American restaurant chain with locations in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan and elsewhere. It is operated by Major Food Group, which also operates ZZ's Clam Bar. The original restaurant opened in 2013, and replaced another Italian establishment, the 90-year-old Rocco Restaurant. Founders Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi say that they modeled the menu, decor, and atmosphere on mid-century Italian restaurants popular in New York City.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), localized in Toronto. Toronto is the most populous city in Canada, and the fourth most populous city in North America.
Altabira City Tavern, or simply Altabira, was an American restaurant on the top of Hotel Eastlund in Portland, Oregon's Lloyd District. The restaurant opened in 2015 and closed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Papi Chulo's is a restaurant with two locations in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The original taqueria in the Pearl District was opened by restaurateur Ramzy Hattar in December 2019, with Antonio Javier Palma Caceres as the chef and Davide Bricca overseeing cocktails. The trio had previously worked together at River Pig Saloon and Two Wrongs, two neighboring establishments also owned by Hattar. A second location opened in northeast Portland in 2023. Papi Chulo's serves Mexican cuisine, such as tacos, burritos, nachos, birria, margaritas, and micheladas.
Tin Shed Garden Cafe, or simply Tin Shed, is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's King neighborhood, in the United States. Co-owned by Christie Griffin and Janette Kaden, the dog-friendly café opened in 2002.
Bridges Cafe & Catering was a restaurant and catering service in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1994, the cafe was later purchased by Tom and Laura Lane-Ruckman, who continued to operate the business until the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a closure in November 2020. The restaurant served Southern and Tex-Mex cuisine and had earned more than half of its revenue from catering. Considered a neighborhood favorite, the interior featured a small dining room, mosaic tiled tables, and artworks by various artists on the walls depicting bridges. The cafe was most known for its grits, its longtime server called "Phreddie", and for supporting local groups.
Eem is a Thai barbecue restaurant and cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon, United States. In 2019, The Oregonian and Portland Monthly named Eem the city's restaurant of the year. The restaurant used dining pods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom was a series of stay-at-home orders introduced by the British and devolved governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amalfi's Italian Restaurant, also known as Amalfi's Restaurant and Mercato, is an Italian-American restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
Jam on Hawthorne is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
Cup & Saucer Cafe was a restaurant with multiple locations in Portland, Oregon.
A dining shed is a makeshift outdoor dining structure created as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-induced government restrictions in New York City. After indoor dining was banned in the city in 2020 to prevent the spread of the illness, more than 12,000 dining sheds were hastily built by restaurants throughout the city using curbside parking space as a result of the Open Restaurants Program, which was authorized by then-mayor Bill de Blasio. The sheds are credited with saving numerous restaurants from closure, but were controversial due to noise pollution, abandonment, attracting crime, and taking up usable parking space, and much debate arose over whether to keep them after the pandemic had waned. Numerous sheds were demolished by the city, but others may remain as permanent fixtures.