BOSTON (CBS) – The only thing more difficult than parking in Boston’s North End was finding a table for dinner. The warm weather makes people flock to the neighborhood for a bit of spring weather.
“When you look at the reservations, people just want to be outside,” said Nino Trotta, owner of Forcella. “And we are ready for them.”
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The warmer it got, the longer the waiting times for dinner on Hanover Street.
“We heard the food was amazing so we’ll just wait and see,” Jimmy Lambert told WBZ-TV as he waited outside for a table.
The pedestrian traffic and appetite for al fresco dining are a relief for restaurant owners like Trotta.
After getting out of hibernation over the winter, Trotta said that alfresco dining is most of his business at Forcella.
“Right now it’s gigantic. It is important. If I had to put a number on it – 75%, ”he said.
The town of Waltham paved the way for outdoor street dining, but is one of the last to reopen Moody Street to visitors. That will come on May 1st.
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“It’s a shirt day. It’s beautiful and people want to sit outside, “said Jeff Abellard, owner of Bistro 781.” So yeah, today would be a day where we had outdoor seating, people would enjoy it, it would have been busy. ”
Although more people are being vaccinated every day, the demand for outdoor seating is only increasing.
“The number of customers I’ve spoken to who aren’t ready to eat inside yet. There are high risk people who can’t eat indoors so we need that, ”Abellard said.
Others just want to enjoy the open air – especially after being indoors for most of 2020.
“Outside would probably be preferable,” said Patron Jim Lambert. “The temperature more than anything.”
Finally, a sense of normalcy for restaurant owners and guests.
“It’s kind of a relief,” said Lambert. “It’s nice to be on the way.”
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Boston has a heavy 11 p.m. curfew for outdoor dining. The program runs until December 1st, depending on the weather.
