Nothing says summertime like outdoor dining. Sidewalk tables have always been major business for restaurants, but with many states still in reopening phases that require indoor dining to be closed down, what will outdoor dining look like during summer 2020?

New York, the original center of the coronavirus crisis when it first came to the U.S., has been reopening extremely slowly. Indoor dining is not even in the next phase of reopening.

In California, indoor dining reopened only to be shut down and rolled back as rising numbers of coronavirus cases in the state made the governor take action.

Across the country, restaurateurs are getting creative with their outdoor dining areas. From Old Vine and Bar in California to Gitano Garden of Love in NYC, restaurants are using this opportunity for extra space to bring in new diners yearning for out-of-the-house dining.

Some restaurants, such as Curio in San Francisco, have turned increased outdoor space into entertainment venues showcasing silent movies, while other groups of restaurants in the Bronx have joined together to create an al-fresco outdoor dining plan that’s being billed as a “European-style outdoor dining experience” – socially distanced of course.

Click through to see some of the inventive ways operators have taken advantage of this new business to make money during the busiest months.

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