Restaurants prepare for outdoor winter dining options during pandemic

From pop-up ice fishing shelters to tents with heaters and special air scrubbers, Minnesota eating and drinking establishments are preparing for winter dining with the unknown of the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon.

At Tinto Kitchen in Minneapolis, there’s a tent that’s been setup since the early days of the pandemic that will now stay up as temperatures drop.

"We built a tent we are going to keep year-round, we just decided. We have heaters, we have air scrubbers." said Rebecca Illingworth-Penichot, Tinto Kitchen’s proprietor.

That tent means more seating options for customers at the Latin restaurant just south of Lake Harriett.

"The challenge is a lot of people don’t want to sit inside, so you have to find various ways to offer your food to people," Illingworth-Penichot said.

Over at Excelsior Brewing Company, they’ve winterized seating, with several ice fishing shelters for customers who want to come out but stay socially distanced.

The bar and restaurant industry’s adapting again to new state coronavirus restrictions, including a 10 p.m. closing time for dine-in service that started Friday.

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"These folks aren’t making money now, or weren’t before the current restrictions went into play, with such a slim margin of 2-3% and 50% occupancy,” said Liz Rammer, president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota. “Now it’s going to be even harder, and add winter in and it’s anybody’s guess how this can go, other than it’s going to be extremely challenging."

Earlier in the fall, Hospitality Minnesota surveyed members about solvency and job loss projections if nothing changes with COVID-19, 33% of hospitality operators indicated they will face insolvency in four to six months.

Only 10.3% of restaurant and foodservice operators surveyed said revenues were even or higher compared with last summer — that’s when the industry makes up for the slower winter months.

"We’re trying hard to be here for our community," Illingworth-Penichot said.

The support of their small neighborhood community for Tinto Kitchen, the owner said, has given them strength through this point of the pandemic, and hopefully in the days ahead.

"I can’t focus on the negatives, I’ve got to focus on the positive that we as a community have come together, and if we keep doing that, we are going to prevail," Illingworth-Penichot said.