Answer Woman: Are restaurants providing heated outdoor patios during flu season?
ASHEVILLE ― Today's burning question involves what to do when we want to enjoy our beloved Asheville cuisine but are wary of indoor germs. Have a question for Answer Man or Answer Woman? Email Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.
Question: With COVID and flu cases creeping back up this winter, I’m wary of eating inside restaurants but still enjoy eating out rather than getting takeout. Are there local restaurants that have outdoor dining this fall and winter that are covered and have heaters that actually keep you warm outdoors?
Answer: Since 2020, many Asheville restaurants made permanent changes to their outdoor dining areas to account for the COVID-19 virus and inclement weather.
Some restaurants without patios were approved to add open-air areas or improve and expand existing ones.
Also, that year, the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association was integral in the crusade to procure 240 outdoor heaters that met the standards of the fire marshal for safety that were made available for AIR members to purchase in preparation for the winter, according to interim executive director Jane Anderson.
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"There is consistent demand for outdoor dining," Anderson said. "Due to COVID, due to flu, people have gotten comfortable and used to it, so most of the restaurants that provided it when COVID hit, many of them are continuing to provide it or even have enhanced it."
Although COVID-19 health and safety protocols are no longer mandated in the city, guests may find venues that have upheld their own set of guidelines for indoor and outdoor dining.
For instance, RendezVous, a French fine dining restaurant at 184 New Haw Creek Road, installed dividers between tables in its dining room which will remain in place, according to chef/owner Michel Baudouin. The local eatery offers a spacious heated covered patio with roll-down shades to protect guests from the wind. And its downtown sister restaurant, Bouchon, at 62 N. Lexington Ave., offers a covered heated patio with four tables.
Wicked Weed Brewing Brewpub, 91 Biltmore Ave., offers two heated patio options throughout the colder months. The front patio is covered ― and pet-friendly ― and the back patio downstairs is open-air and heated. For additional warmth, guests may sit closer to the propane heaters that line the patios or underneath the electric heater.
The establishment regularly cleans the tables with food-safe sanitizer that’s tested by local health inspectors, anti-bacterial soap is provided in restrooms, and hand sanitizer dispensers are dispersed throughout the restaurant, according to Assistant General Manager Lydia Bisantz.
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“We’re also continuing to use MERV 13 filters to help reduce bacteria and virus particles from the indoor air. We offer masks to employees and encourage reporting of illnesses and not working if sick, along with our sick days policy,” Andrew Dagnan, Director of Environmental Safety & Sustainability, said in an email.
Posana, 1 Biltmore Ave., offers an outdoor dining area with four standalone heat lamps. Typically, in the winter, the patio is enclosed with a drawdown plastic/tent-like barrier, according to the restaurant’s representative. The outdoor seating area is first-come, first-serve, so it’s recommended that guests book a reservation online or by phone and specify if they’d prefer patio seating, which will be honored if available. Also, tables are sanitized between guests.
Each business is different and various factors may impact outdoor availability.
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Anderson recommends guests contact the restaurant in advance to inquire about seating arrangements and determine if it fits desired conditions, particularly if it's their first time visiting. Also, check the restaurant's website or social media for details, and make reservations with seating preference, if that's an option.
"The expectation and the desire for folks to continue to eat outdoors is there and solid. Because the customer wants that, I think you'll see any restaurant that can continue to do it will do it," Anderson said. "The demand is there. People are having to step up and provide it and that's a good thing."
AIR doesn't have a comprehensive list of restaurants offering heated outdoor dining. However, here are some additional places to consider: Sunny Point Café, Haywood Common, Jargon, Corner Kitchen, The Montford Rooftop Bar, Copper Crown, Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, The Admiral, Jettie Rae's Oyster House, Vinnie's, Tupelo Honey, Plant and Eldr.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville restaurants offering heated outdoor patios in winter
