North End Prepares For The Last Weekend Of Outdoor Dining
BOSTON (CBS) - By Monday, November 1, North End business owners will have to pack up their patios, as outdoor dining finishes for the season.
"It has changed the demographic of the North End," said Adriana De Stefano, the owner of Caffe Paradiso on Hanover Street. "In a very very positive way."
One month before the citywide end of outdoor dining on December 1, the North End will close its patios.
"I guess a lot of people are very disappointed," Dolce Vita owner Francesco Graceffa said, explaining that some restaurant owners are upset about the early deadline on outdoor dining.
One thing that's made the transition a bit easier? This week's weather.
"After the week we had? No, that's it," De Stefano said. "It's too cold."
But a crisp, albeit dry, Thursday didn't stop dozens of people from eating on the outdoor patios in their winter coats.
"I mean as long as you can hold your fork and your knife and your fingers aren't freezing then, might as well," Jules Wheaton of Boston said.
"With COVID still around, it's nice to keep the outdoor dining," her mom Nancy added.
For other patios, though, time's up. Some employees could be seen Thursday night dismantling patio setups ahead of the deadline.
While some restaurant owners are okay with the early deadline, they are already lobbying for outdoor dining to come back next year. DeStefano was on a Zoom meeting on Thursday night to discuss next year's plan.
"I know the neighbors are complaining a little bit," Francesco Graceffa said. "Which I don't blame them. There's not enough parking in the area."
Still, both Graceffa, other owners, and patrons visiting the neighborhood are hopeful the outdoor dining sticks around for years to come.
