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Igloo dining: don’t speak loudly

“If we get rain, then we probably shut down.”

Latest fad: publicity shot from Dinner With a View, bubble dining company
Latest fad: publicity shot from Dinner With a View, bubble dining company

They look so glamorous: transparent geodesic domes with tables for six inside, ruby-winking wine glasses, plates of food, beautiful people laughing and dining. And these “igloos” have been billed as safe, but also warm, outside dining experiences. Their big selling point is that they do not pick up viruses circulating in the general outside air. They have swept North America as a glamorous answer to the covid virus. And with these biting breezes hitting the county lately, people who don’t want to be stuck at home are seeing a ray of hope for their social lives.

Brig’s General Manager, Ed Pecus.

Meanwhile, restaurants have been having their own brilliant ideas. The streets of downtown are unprecedentedly full of life. Baja Betty’s on University has set up a network of transparently walled table spaces on either side of the sidewalk. They have brought in ferns, palms, flowers, and a real feeling of cozy community. The space looks positively fashionable.

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But is it just me? Everybody clustering around any small space must be pushing their luck in the time of Covid.

CDC says the droplets people produce when they’re talking and laughing, especially loudly, especially close to others, especially for a long period, and super-especially when the air of the location is confined, are dangerous.

New fencing to enclose parking lot patios - Winter’s coming!

So when one of the more popular middle class chains, the Brigantine, started constructing plastic and wood walls around the outside dining area they created in their parking lot in Coronado, I just had to pop in to see what was up.

“Not at all,” says the general manager of this Brig, Ed Pecus, when I ask about enclosing the parking lot patio. “It’s a windscreen. We don’t see anything changing anytime soon covidwise, and with no indoor seating, you’ve got to make sure the guests are as protected as possible. We’re not allowed to put a top on, but anything that can protect you from the wind is good. So we just pray for no rain. If we get rain, then we probably shut down.”

Eating inside - okay if the windows stay open. And they are locked open.

He says they are lucky because they have their own parking lot. “And now, with winter, we were lucky to get our heaters early. Because now, you can’t find them.”

But I distinctly saw people dining indoors in the restaurant. That is banned, right?

“It’s right by the windows, and the windows don’t close, so you still have the fresh air that goes in and out. If you’re within five feet of a window, and those windows can’t close, [it’s okay]. It’s actually colder inside than it is out, because there are no heaters right next to [the tables]. But anything that employs one more server, who then doesn’t lose out on a shift [is good]. We’ve already cut down 30 percent, staff wise.”

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Big swordfish, big marlin, and big money

Trout opener at Santee Lakes
Latest fad: publicity shot from Dinner With a View, bubble dining company
Latest fad: publicity shot from Dinner With a View, bubble dining company

They look so glamorous: transparent geodesic domes with tables for six inside, ruby-winking wine glasses, plates of food, beautiful people laughing and dining. And these “igloos” have been billed as safe, but also warm, outside dining experiences. Their big selling point is that they do not pick up viruses circulating in the general outside air. They have swept North America as a glamorous answer to the covid virus. And with these biting breezes hitting the county lately, people who don’t want to be stuck at home are seeing a ray of hope for their social lives.

Brig’s General Manager, Ed Pecus.

Meanwhile, restaurants have been having their own brilliant ideas. The streets of downtown are unprecedentedly full of life. Baja Betty’s on University has set up a network of transparently walled table spaces on either side of the sidewalk. They have brought in ferns, palms, flowers, and a real feeling of cozy community. The space looks positively fashionable.

Sponsored
Sponsored

But is it just me? Everybody clustering around any small space must be pushing their luck in the time of Covid.

CDC says the droplets people produce when they’re talking and laughing, especially loudly, especially close to others, especially for a long period, and super-especially when the air of the location is confined, are dangerous.

New fencing to enclose parking lot patios - Winter’s coming!

So when one of the more popular middle class chains, the Brigantine, started constructing plastic and wood walls around the outside dining area they created in their parking lot in Coronado, I just had to pop in to see what was up.

“Not at all,” says the general manager of this Brig, Ed Pecus, when I ask about enclosing the parking lot patio. “It’s a windscreen. We don’t see anything changing anytime soon covidwise, and with no indoor seating, you’ve got to make sure the guests are as protected as possible. We’re not allowed to put a top on, but anything that can protect you from the wind is good. So we just pray for no rain. If we get rain, then we probably shut down.”

Eating inside - okay if the windows stay open. And they are locked open.

He says they are lucky because they have their own parking lot. “And now, with winter, we were lucky to get our heaters early. Because now, you can’t find them.”

But I distinctly saw people dining indoors in the restaurant. That is banned, right?

“It’s right by the windows, and the windows don’t close, so you still have the fresh air that goes in and out. If you’re within five feet of a window, and those windows can’t close, [it’s okay]. It’s actually colder inside than it is out, because there are no heaters right next to [the tables]. But anything that employs one more server, who then doesn’t lose out on a shift [is good]. We’ve already cut down 30 percent, staff wise.”

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The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
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WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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