Local restaurants accommodating outdoor dining in colder months

We are all yearning for a little normalcy these days, and dining at our favorite restaurants looks a little different right now.

With the colder months upon us, one restaurant on Alki is taking it one step further to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by creating an undercover outdoor, heated dining area. 

Salty's on Alki is redefining outdoor dining. This all comes as the CDC says adults who test positive for the virus are twice as likely to have eaten at restaurants. The agency says direction, ventilation and intensity of airflow can really make a difference when it comes to the transmission of the virus.

A lot of establishments don’t have the space or funds to create an outdoor dining area, but the general manager of Salty’s says they are renting this setup in order to provide a safe option for people who are worried about dining indoors. 

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“This process is slow, and we are really cautious about what we do. It used to be you know, I’m pretty famous for dropping big stuff quickly, I am really slow to do that now," says Salty's GM Cris Darst.

The setup doesn’t come cheap: The greenhouse-like tents, heating system and extra accomodations can all rack up to a price tag in the tens of thousands, even when renting the equipment. 

So, it’s anybody’s guess how many restaurants in our region willl be able to do what Salty’s has done. If you want to check it out—they are a part of Seattle’s restaurant week going on until November 21st.