Expanded Outdoor Dining Returns this Summer
This summer, while enjoying a fig and goat cheese pizza or penne puttanesca, you can experience a revival of Market St.’s expanded outdoor dining set up, which was newly constructed last summer.
The Italian restaurant, located on its namesake road in Rhinebeck, NY, increased its seating capacity by building a brand new wooden deck that began at the front of the restaurant and overflowed into the roadway in June of 2020. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Market St. invested in constructing the deck—complete with railings, planters, tea lights strung overhead, and umbrella-covered tables spaced six feet apart—as soon as New York state restaurants were allowed to reopen and offer outdoor dining that summer.
This year—like many other local restaurants—they’ll be bringing back the well-loved set-up.
Although a large financial investment, the patio enticed more people to dine at the restaurant during the pandemic than would have felt comfortable otherwise. “The opportunity for outdoor dining brought a lot more people out into the village of Rhinebeck,’ said Shayla Bradley, Market St.’s assistant manager. “Being outside made people feel safer as opposed to dining indoors. That had a huge impact on the patio’s success.”
Now, a year later, restaurants that shuttered their outdoor dining operations for the winter are preparing to reopen them again. Dutchess County has extended its executive order from last summer, which allows restaurants to expand their seating into municipal land like sidewalks, streets, and parking lots — meaning that restaurants like Market St. will once again be revamping their seating area beyond their indoor premise.
“Last year, the expanded outdoor dining was a real lifesaver for many restaurants that would have otherwise been restricted to an indoor occupancy that wasn’t sustainable,” says Assistant Dutchess County Executive Ronald Hicks. “It was a great pivot in order to help the restaurant tours survive the pandemic.”
With a previous summer of outdoor dining under their belts, restaurants in Dutchess County are improving upon their setups. Zeus Brewing Company, located on Main St. in Poughkeepsie, opened last fall with a rooftop patio as its main selling point. It was intended to be a “party space,” before the pandemic put that idea on hold. However, the rooftop did remain a popular spot for dinner, as it offered expansive views of the Hudson River. This year, Zeus is revamping its outdoor dining space. Although hesitant to give details, the restaurant is teasing an even better outdoor experience with the promise of easing COVID restrictions in the coming months.
The Wonderbar in downtown Beacon currently has four tables set up under their vintage, movie theater marquee. The restaurant — which has a 1920s, speakeasy-style atmosphere — offered picnic tables for outdoor dining for the entirety of last summer, and plans on expanding once again this year to suit the demand for outdoor seating. The Vault, located just across the street from the Wonderbar, is doing the same.
While the Vault’s patio has been in place since the restaurant opened in 2015, last summer they expanded the area to take up a few parking spaces, too. Dulce Baley, the Vault’s manager, mentioned that they’ve seen an increase demand for outside seating. “Before, people didn’t mind sitting inside if the patio was full. But last summer, people were willing to wait for a long while just to get a table outside,” she says.
While the vaccine rollout gives hope that the end of the pandemic is on the horizon, it seems that the heightened interest in outdoor dining is here to say. Customers have enjoyed the more widespread experience of dining al fresco, especially in the warmer months. “The pandemic has made me realize just how much I enjoy outdoor dining, especially at places around campus, like Zeus — their rooftop view of the river is beautiful — and Hudson Taco in Newburgh,” says Julia Feigus, a senior at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. “I definitely plan to keep taking advantage of outdoor seating, even after the pandemic ends.”
In Europe, outdoor cafe-style dining is commonplace — which might soon be true of Dutchess County restaurants as well, mentioned Hicks. “There’s no doubt in my mind that I think everyone enjoyed the experience,” he says. “We want to make sure that the zoning for restaurants moving forward can accommodate a certain amount of more appropriate, more permanent outdoor dining setups.”
The local government in Dutchess County is working to expand the current outdoor dining legislation more permanently, so restaurants can operate with liquor licenses and full food service outdoors for the foreseeable future, says Hicks. “Outdoor dining is continuing this summer, but our city planning department is working with local municipalities to find ways to ensure that we can expand outdoor dining properly in the future.”
