outdoor dining

The phrase al fresco composed of two words, is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool/fresh [air]". It is not in current use in Italian to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori ("outside", "outdoor") or all'aperto ("in the open [air]").{{cite web |work=Parola del Giorno |title=Word of the Day: stare al fresco |first=Keith |last=Preble |date=July 1, 2014 |url=http://paroladelgiorno.com/2014/07/01/stare-al-fresco/|access-date=June 27, 2017}} In Italian, the expression al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail.{{cite web|title=Dizionario dei modi di dire|url=http://dizionari.corriere.it/dizionario-modi-di-dire/F/fresco.shtml|language=it|publisher=Fresco|access-date=June 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804024330/http://dizionari.corriere.it/dizionario-modi-di-dire/F/fresco.shtml|archive-date=August 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}

Open-air and spaced-out seating creates a safe and relaxed atmosphere for patrons.

File:At Trentham Estate 2022 040.jpg]]

In 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, many cities increased the options for restaurants to offer outdoor dining, in order to promote open-air and spaced-out seating,{{Cite web |date=2023-05-05 |title=The Evolution of Restaurant Design Trends Over Time |url=https://www.frontsigns.com/blog/evolution-of-restaurant-design-trends-over-time/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Front Signs |language=en-us}} and help businesses economically recover from the pandemic's impact.{{Cite web|title=Open Restaurants

|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/openrestaurants.shtml|access-date=2020-09-06|website=www1.nyc.gov}}

In New York City, 10,600 restaurants had enrolled in the city's outdoor dining program by September 2020, compared to just 1,023 sidewalk cafes that existed before the pandemic.{{Cite news|last1=Hu|first1=Winnie|last2=Schweber|first2=Nate|date=2020-11-09|title=The Setups for Outdoor Winter Dining Are Lavish. But Are They Safe?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/nyregion/nyc-outdoor-dining-winter.html|access-date=2020-12-04|issn=0362-4331}} The use of bubble tents or outdoor dining pods also increased during the pandemic.{{Cite web|last=Forster|first=Victoria|title=Why 'Bubble Dining' Pods Are a Terrible Idea During the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2020/10/21/why-bubble-dining-pods-are-a-terrible-idea-during-the-covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic/|access-date=2021-04-11|website=Forbes|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Outdoor Dining Ideas for Restaurants in the Era of COVID|url=https://mcdonaldpaper.com/blog/outdoor-dining-ideas-for-restaurants|access-date=2021-04-11|publisher=mcdonaldpaper.com}} Before the pandemic, these pod installations were rare. Although outdoor pods reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to indoor dining, they have been criticized for their lack of air ventilation.{{Cite web|last=Stone |first=Will |title=Yurts, Igloos and Pop-Up Domes: How Safe Is 'Outside' Restaurant Dining This Winter?|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/31/950178368/yurts-igloos-and-pop-up-domes-how-safe-is-outside-restaurant-dining-this-winter|access-date=2021-08-18 |department=Shots |publisher=NPR|language=en}}

Some cities, such as New York and Portland, have taken steps to preserve outdoor dining installations that were originally introduced as a COVID-19 mitigation, albeit with new regulations and fee structures.{{Cite web |last=Wray |first=Sarah |date=2023-08-17 |title=New York makes outdoor dining permanent – with new rules |url=https://cities-today.com/new-york-makes-outdoor-dining-permanent-with-new-rules/,%20https://cities-today.com/new-york-makes-outdoor-dining-permanent-with-new-rules/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Cities Today |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Foden-Vencil |first=Kristian |date=December 10, 2022 |title=COVID changed our lives, and our streets, as outdoor restaurant seating becomes permanent |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2022/12/10/covid-outdoor-dining-portland-restaurants/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Oregon Public Broadcasting |language=en}} In other cities, such as Paris, Long Beach and Claremont, rollbacks to initially liberal pandemic-era dining policies have resulted in a significant decrease in the availability of outdoor dining.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-27 |title=Seulement 4.000 des 12.000 terrasses estivales validées à Paris |url=https://www.20minutes.fr/paris/3259247-20220327-paris-seulement-4000-terrasses-estivales-validees-mairie-contre-12000-2021 |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=www.20minutes.fr |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last=Schuster |first=Kat |date=2023-02-08 |title=Here's why all of Long Beach's COVID-era parklets have disappeared |url=https://lbpost.com/news/heres-why-all-of-long-beachs-covid-era-parklets-have-disappeared/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Long Beach Post News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Rojas |first=Javier |date=2023-03-03 |title=Claremont ends pandemic-era outdoor dining program |url=https://www.dailybulletin.com/2023/03/02/claremont-ends-pandemic-era-outdoor-dining-program/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Inland Valley Daily Bulletin |language=en-US}}

• Sidewalk cafe
• Outstanding in the Field

{{Wiktionary|al fresco}}

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Category:Serving and dining