Street dining isn't going anywhere
There are “parklets,” “outdoor dining,” and temporary (well, not-so) outdoor dining for Covid. Aren't they all the same?
I guess I’m late to the party but here’s a word I just learned about: streeterie.
Sure, there’s “parklet,” “outdoor dining,” and temporary (well, not-so) outdoor dining for Covid.
Streeteries, I learned are:
“outdoor extensions of restaurants or cafes, primarily designed to provide additional seating for diners. They are meant to enhance the dining experience by allowing customers to eat outdoors. Typically owned and operated by the restaurant or business they are associated with, they existed before the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for businesses to expand their seating capacity and provide al fresco dining.”
So, yeah, basically, tables set outside.
However, Covid dining spaces on the other hand were created in response to the pandemic to
“facilitate safe dining during lockdowns and social distancing measures. They served as a way for restaurants to continue serving customers while complying with health and safety guidelines.”
Often set up by local governments and municipalities in collaboration with restaurants, they usually involve closing off sections of streets or using public spaces for dining (with much gnashing of the teeth!) Though they were intended as temporary solutions, they’re sticking around - which I’m all for.
The only distinction I really see is that streeteries are typically permanent or semi-permanent extensions, where COVID outdoor dining spaces were temporary measures implemented during the pandemic—but in many cities have stayed put and become permanent.
The photos below were shot in April and May 2020 around Portland, Oregon. Quickly constructed, each one of these are still up and running - and each have been built out as more permanent structures. I frequent each a lot as well, yep, even in winter.
These types of dining options—though criticized for their designs - have created more spaces for diners, have brought back street life and built community. And as they evolve, yes, so has their design.
Further reading
Outdoor Dining Is Doomed—The Atlantic
Portland poised to make pandemic-era street seating for restaurants permanent —The Oregonian
New York City Will Make Outdoor Dining Permanent, With Caveats— NY Times