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Have FunAn array of backyard ideas will keep your home fun all year round. Setup a board game or start a game of cards on the patio tables outside. Start a small garden in containers or near the outdoor patio to showcase green beauty. Add some string lights or torch lamps to create a welcoming ambience during the evening.

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Patio Design Ideas - The Home Depot

Roommates Claire Lynch and Lara Nicholson said, they jumped at the news of restaurants opening their patio and outdoor areas.

She was in a zoom class and I saw the post on Zippys and I just text her like, when youre out of class can we please go to Zippys and she was like of course said Lynch.

Friday is the first day of the governors relaxed orders, giving restaurants a little more leverage to serve their customers.

When the Governor announced it, within ten minutes we got phone calls. Will yall be open Friday, yes, we will. Lets get a little clarification on the rules and well be ready to go on Friday morning said Neal Hendrick, Owner of Zippys

Under the new order, outdoor seating must be cut to 25-percent of seats, tables have to be at least 10 feet apart with a max of ten people at each table.

Our patio with 10 feet apart and then we also have or parking lot with tables in it, 10 feet apart as well.

Hendrick said, hes excited to see his full staff at work and customers enjoying their food.

We have a great response from our customers, the public came out, everybody is doing really good respecting the social distancing. A lot of smile, a lot of happy people today.

Since we have been here today, it has been crowded. We have seen people already starting to sit outside in the parking lot where they kind of created overflow. Its pretty well spaced out said Nicholson.

While theres some relief for restaurants. People said, this is only part of phase one and theres still a long way to go.

I think as long as people are careful and not necessarily saying oh this means everything is back to normal. This shouldnt be a green light, its like a yellow light.

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Restaurants open patios and outdoor seating areas - BRProud.com

Lemongrass Cafe's Chef Srifah Fah Vorarittinapa will welcome guests back May 1 with patio seating only. (Photos by Nathan Colbert/Community Impact Newspaper)

Guests of restaurants are also asked to take precautions, such as maintaining social distancing and wearing face masks when around people who are not part of their dining party.

This post will be updated as we receive new information.

Know of a local business we should include? Send us an email to bmwnews@communityimpact.com or call us at 512-989-6808.

Cleburne Cafeteria, 3606 Bissonnet St., Houston, will open its dining room May 1 and maintain its curbside service. The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. 713-667-2386. http://www.cleburnecafeteria.com

Common Bond, 2278 W. Holcombe Blvd., will open at limited capacity for dine-in service May 1. Tables seat a maximum of four, and staff are undergoing temperature checks and must wear masks. 346-327-8393. http://www.commonbondcafe.com

Enoteca Rossa, 4566 Bissonnet St., Bellaire, will reopen for sit-down dining service May 1. Takeout service remains in place as well. 346-204-4403. http://www.enotecarossa.com

D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe, 5510 Morningside Drive, Ste. 140, Houston, will reopen its dining room May 1 but will keep offering takeout service as well. 713-526-3400. http://www.damico-cafe.com

Fadi's Meyerland Mediterranean Grill, 4738 Beechnut St., Houston, will reopen May 1. In addition to limited capacity, the restaurant will also put tables 8 feet apartthe state requirement is 6 feetand will conduct daily temperature checks on staff members. 713-666-4644. http://www.fadismeyerland.com

Hungrys in Rice Village, 2356 Rice Blvd., Houston, will reopen its dining room May 1 and will continue curbside and free delivery. The full menu will be available, along with contact-free curbside pickup and free delivery for the foreseeable future. Operating hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat.-Sun. The Upstairs Bar & Lounge and NextDoor Bar & Lounge will also be open for seating. 713-523-8652. http://www.hungryscafe.com

Lemongrass Cafe, 5107 Bellaire Blvd., Ste 120, Bellaire will not reopen its dining room May 1 but will begin allowing guests to dine on its patio with limited seating and limited service. The restaurant will also continue to offer curbside pickup and delivery within a five-mile radius. 713-664-6698. http://www.lemongrass-cafe.com

All Local Foods locations, including 2424 Dunstan Road, Houston, in Rice Village, will offer minimum-contact service and patio seating at 25% capacity starting May 1. It will also keep its local market offerings. Customers will order and pick up food at the counter when it is ready and will be asked to throw away their own trash after dining. Disposable silverware and dishware will be used. 713-521-7800. http://www.localfoods.com

Los Tios, 4840 Beechnut St., Houston, will reopen according to state guidelines May 1. 713-660-6244. http://www.lostiosrestaurant.com

Molina's Cantina, 3801 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, will reopen its dining rooms May 1. Curbside and delivery options remain available as well. 713-782-0861. http://www.molinascantina.com

Saltillo Mexican Kitchen, 5427 Bissonnet St., Ste 200, Houston, will reopen its dining room May 1 from 4 p.m.-9 p.m., though reservations will be needed, as capacity is limited to 25%. To-go orders will continue. 832-623-6467. http://www.saltillomexicankitchen.com

Watershed, 4820 W. Bellfort Blvd., Houston, will open its patio for dine-in guests May 1, but its main dining area remains closed. 713-637-4205. http://www.watershedhtx.com

Tapesters Grill, 4520 Beechnut St., Houston, will reopen its dining room May 1 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. but will restrict seating to 25% capacity. Home delivery and carryout will still be available. 832-582-5333. http://www.tapestersgrill.com

Original post:
Dining rooms and patios opening May 1 for sit-down service in Bellaire, Meyerland, West University Place - Community Impact Newspaper

AUSTIN (KXAN) Friday marked another step by Governor Greg Abbott to reopen Texas. After being shut down for more than a month, retailers, restaurants, libraries, golf courses and movie theaters have been given the green light to allow customers back in the door.

The day to reopen comes a day after the state reported the highest death toll in one single day with more than 50 deaths.

If restaurant owners chose to reopen their dining rooms Friday, they had to follow the states safety guidelines. Things like masks requirements for staff and patrons, disposable cutlery, to-go cups, single-use menus and single-use condiments are just some of the changes being made at restaurants.

KXAN checked in with ZTejas and Poke Austin. Management there said theyll practice social distancing and keep patrons separated. They also plan to check employees temperatures at the door.

At ZTejas, temperature checks will also apply to customers, and they plan to implement a rotating table system. That means they will not seat a party at the same table where others just dined.

Another big aspect for many restaurants is patios. Several restaurant owners are advertising their outdoor space. ZTejas has four patio areas at its 6th Street location, and Poke Austins patio wraps around the building. Some restaurant owners have announced they will only use the patio areas.

Thats where your space is, Trent Schneiter, the owner of Poke Austin said. Thats where I think people will feel the safest, so lets take advantage of that, and even better its the good weather its not a 100 degrees outside, its a cool 90 degrees.

ZTejas Chief Operating Officer Robby Nethercut agreed and said, I think (patrons) do feel more comfortable just being outdoors and feeling free and I think for sure, my personal preference would be to want to be able to sit outdoors. I think there is a little bit of safety there and it makes people feel more comfortable.

Actually I was coming in to get a taco to go. I always come here, said Gloria Chapa. Today I didnt know I could eat here. Im glad came here.

Chapa said shes been coming to Juan in a Million twice a week for decades. I was like 15-years-old, and now Im 60. My nephews, my nieces, my mom, everybody came here. Its a family tradition.

She said during the Stay Home Order, she would see Juan in a Million completely empty.

Empty and sad and depressing. Its sad what happened. Its real sad. But everythings going to get better, she told KXAN.

Owner Juan Meza said he moved the tables so theyre all more than six feet apart. He said hes glad he can re-open the dining room.

We had to lay off a lot of our employees. Not were starting to bring them back, Meza said. Hopefully when things start picking back up again, hopefully well have our whole staff back.

On the other hand, however, some restaurant owners chose to keep their dining rooms closed.

Bangers Sausage House and Beer Garden Owner Ben Siegel said, Youve a very real threat to human life on the one hand. And then you have very real threat to livelihoods on the other hand.

Bangers has been selling groceries and having people pick up their orders curbside.

If you look at the what the president and at the federal level, what their guidelines were for states reopening, which seemed rational logical, I dont think weve actually met any of those guidelines, Siegel said. The only difference between right now and a month and a half ago when we shut down is theres more people with COVID-19 right now. Thats really the only difference.

Siegel said he had to think about, What is the cost of not only starting back up but then shutting it down but then starting it back up again?

He also explained, reopening the dining room isnt as simple as turning on a light switch. You have to think about staffing and inventory.

The Brewtorium owners also said, you need more than four days to go from a to-go only model to having dining rooms open at 25 percent capacity.

We just felt like it wasnt time yet with the number of COVID cases continuing to increase in Travis County, said Co-Owner Whitney Roberts. We just felt like it wasnt thesafe time to do it.

Chris Rauschuber said, Even if we felt that the overall climate was suitable, the measures we had to put in place, we need more time.

Roberts added, Adding all the additional safety measures, moving our tables around, trying to police that, trying police the number of people coming in, it just doesnt make a lot of sense at this point. And frankly I dont think people would coming in at this point.

Like Siegel, Rauschuber also questioned the costs of reopening now and the potential of having to shut down again if there were to be a second surge in cases.

Itd be very disruptive to our staff if we were to bring them off of furlough, off of unemployment and then have to put them back on furlough, were not really sure how that would work, he said.

The restaurant owners said they will reopen in the future, but for now, theyd rather play it safe.

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Some restaurants open dining rooms, patios Friday, while others stick with to-go only - KXAN.com

Our updated list of Baton Rouge area restaurants providing takeout and delivery options has become a huge resource for people looking to support local restaurants and avoid cooking dinneri.e. all of us.

Now that Gov. John Bel Edwards has cleared the way for restaurants to open up their patios for guests to eat their to-go meals (while following all required safety procedures, of course), we at225 Dinewant to share the latest info with our readers.

If youre a restaurant owner planning to open up your patio for patrons, let us know about it by emailing [emailprotected]. Well update your information on our list of restaurants serving takeout and delivery.

And if youre a reader looking for ideas for lunch and dinner this weekend, check out our list here for more than 300 local restaurants waiting to serve your favorites.

See more here:
We're looking for Baton Rouge restaurants opening up their patios to guests - 225 Baton Rouge

Nothing to do during the pandemic?

With summer fast approaching and the return to normalcy soon, it may be time to spruce up your patio or backyard with a new table, umbrella, lounge chairs or whatever your heart desires.

And theres no better place to shop than Wayfair, which is currently holding its Big Outdoor Sale, where some items are being discounted by 65%

This Jahn Steel Wood Burning Fire Pit Table sells for $122.99 at Wayfair.com. (Wayfair photo)

Patio seating, patio dining and hammocks and Adirondack chairs are being discounted the most right now.

Hot tubs, awnings and outdoor rugs are also on sale at big discounts.

And dont forget every yard needs a fire pit and patio heaters and Wayfair has those, too.

If you order now, you can surprise your wife or mom with one of the above items for a special Mothers Day gift. Mothers Day is on May 10 in 2020.

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Spruce up your patio during the pandemic with these marked-down products from Wayfair - SILive.com

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A look at how some local Greenville restaurants are planning to reopen patio areas for dining Monday - FOX Carolina

The City of Fredericton wants to expand its use of sidewalk cafs to help restaurants kick-start business while ensuring they have adequate space for physical distancing.

Ken Forrest, the city's director of planning and development, said it was part of an overall plan to help restaurants recover from the devastating financial effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the city is waiving fees for sidewalk patios and being generous with permits in terms of the space allocated.

"The city is demonstrating a fair bit of flexibility this year so that restaurants can take physical distancing into account and try to maximize seating," he said.

He said the city is also looking at providing picnic table seating in public spaces like Officers' Square, Carleton Street and Barracks Square to give customers options for taking food out or having it delivered to those locations.

"We are moving forward with that initiative in the hopes that those dining options will be available again to the community in the near future," said Forrest."So that initiative is now under way. We're accepting applications."

The city is also looking at closing some streets to vehicular traffic on Sundays to provide more space for physical distancing for cyclists and pedestrians.

"That's another thing that we usually do, but we're considering whether there is some value in applying it in slightly different circumstances this year to help people stay active while maintaining distancing."

The vice-president Atlantic for Restaurants Canada said waiving the fees and expanding the use of sidewalk patios is a great idea.

"Our businesses have been devastated by the COVID crisis and many operations are closed or barely open because of the requirements for social distancing or the prohibition of dine-in eating," explained Luc Erjavec.

"So anything that can be done to lower the costs and give the operator more opportunity to conduct business is a good thing. Because these restaurants are essential to communities, plus the social and cultural fabric."

Erjavec said New Brunswick restaurant sales have dropped by 80 per cent because of COVID-19, and about 13,700 of the industry's 22,000 employees have been laid off.

He said 48 per cent of New Brunswickrestaurants have temporarily closed; while 38 per cent are doing takeout and delivery.

Nine per cent have already decided to close permanently and Erjavec predicts that number could rise if things continue as they are.

He said 50 per cent of restaurant owners said they couldn't survive beyond three months at the current state of affairs.

When asked during Thursday's daily news briefing about outdoor patios, the province's chief medical officer of health said "there will be a general approach to all businesses in the different phases, and the ones that have more risk in terms of close proximity and not being as amenable to social distancing will be coming in the later phases."

Dr. Jennifer Russell didn't specifically mention restaurants or patios, but said "all businesses" will have to follow physical-distancing protocols in order to protect staff and patrons when they ramp up.

She said public health officials are scheduled to meet with the province's chambers of commerce Thursday evening to discuss the re-opening of restaurants.

Saint John Coun. Donna Reardon said the city should "absolutely" be looking at expanding sidewalk cafs.

"That's on our radar right now," said Reardon, whose ward takes in the uptown area of the city.

Reardon said she often thinks about how to re-start businesses as she walks through her ward and sees everything shut down.

"How do we reopen and still respect social distancing?" she wonders.

She said expanding cafs was on the city's radar last year, so recovering from a global COVID-19 pandemic is even more of a catalyst for doing it.

Reardon said she would like to see the city waive the fees for businesses that open patios.

While acknowledging that the City of Saint John is hurting for revenue, Reardon said it's important the city support businesses thatare trying to recover from the financial effects of the pandemic.

"We need money," she said. "But at the end of the day, you've got to look at how you can support your city getting back on its feet."

She would also like to examine the possibility of closing some streets to traffic to give uptown businesses more options for keeping people apart and for pedestrians to be able to physical distance while out and about.

But she knows there are drawbacks to closing streets, since businesses still need to be able to receive deliveries.

"So, I guess at the end of the day, you need to figure out how everything can work together but still create that space. Because everyone's looking for that whether we have COVID-19 or not more patios and those sorts of things."

Although Uptown Saint John has officially asked the city to increase sidewalk cafs and waive fees for them, it hasn't yet come before council.

"The logistics of it can be a bit tricky but it's all being looked at right now and actively."

"I am willing to support anything to support the businesses in the uptown area to get back on their feet."

Uptown Saint John would also like to see the city support sidewalk patios.

The executive director of the business improvement association, said she's already asked the city to waive the fees for this season's permits. Nancy Tissington would also like to see more restaurants able to expand outside their walls.

She said physical distancing will be a big concern for a lot of uptown restaurants. Many of them are already working in tight quarters, so sidewalk cafs would allow them to expand.

And for those who have converted to takeout, Tissington said, those customers might be inclined to continue taking out if they can also enjoy the uptown atmosphere.

"They can still take the takeout and go to a nearby picnic table or an extension of the patio. It would be limited, but it would certainly help," she said.

"And having that fee waived would certainly help a lot of the restaurant owners right now."

Tissington said some of her members have also asked for streets to be shut down to motorized traffic. It's something worth exploring, but she has concerns about it like losing parking spaces for uptown businesses that aren't restaurants.

"We don't just have restaurants. We have retail. We have other sectors in our uptown. So we have to be fair when we're making these judgment calls."

She said she's "leaning more towards the extension of a patio, as opposed to shutting streets." While she hopes the city will be generous with new applications, she understands that there are upfront costs to setting up new patios.

"The cost might be prohibitive, but it might be the only way in which some businesses can conduct business this year," she said.

Tissington sent a formal request to the city on April 23 and said the response "is a bit delayed and I'm a little disappointed."

She's going to wait until the end of the week and then "go at them again," she said

"If you want to help then this is an absolute solution right here to waive their fees now," said Tissington.

Moncton is also considering its options for sidewalk patios.

Kevin Silliker, the director of economic development for the city of Moncton, said officials are trying to figure out how to launch the annual program amid COVID-19 restrictions.

The first step, he said, is to figure out if the program, as it existed before, can proceed. In some cases, traditional patio locations may not be suitable. For example, some may be too close to pedestrian traffic or too small to allow for physical distancing, he said.

"And if we can't do those," said Silliker, "are there other spaces that might be available?"

Silliker said the city is considering expanding into parks and public streets. The idea would be to set up an outdoor "common food court space," in close proximity to the restaurant or caf from where the food and beverages would come.

The city has already received a number of applications for outdoor patios, and Silliker said all fees will be waived this year.

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Cities look at expanding sidewalk patios to help restaurants get back on feet - CBC.ca

If Fort Worths most popular shopping destinations are indications of what happened statewide, retailers are taking a cautious approach to reopening.

FORT WORTH, Texas Near Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth on Friday, a store front displayed masked mannequins.

But the clever marketing didnt seem to be attracting many customers.

Texas gave retailers the green light to reopen after a shutdown that lasted more than a month.

Despite Gov. Greg Abbotts lifting of a stay-at-home order, as part of a phased reopening plan, shoppers werent lined up to get inside. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

In University Park Village and The Shops at Clearfork, most national chain stores remained closed. The few stores that did open on Friday seemed to be quiet.

Restaurant patios were doing steady business during Fridays lunch hour. Servers at Mesero in The Shops at Clearfork were wearing masks as customers sat at patio tables that, from the street outside, appeared to be well-spaced.

People were also sitting outside on patios at Social House in the West 7th district and Blue Mesa in University Park Village. The largest patio crowd spotted Friday afternoon was at Del Friscos Grill in Sundance Square.

Lindsey Ross, owner of Schakolad Chocolate Factory and Houston Street Toy Company near Sundance Square, is not surprised that stores werent busy.

She knows some people are thrilled to see employees working and customers spending money again, while others are scared to see people out.

I see both perspectives, she said. I want to get back to work. This is my livelihood. But I also carry this responsibility for people I have to protect as well.

She is a single mom and an entrepreneur who has not been able to secure any sort of emergency loan assistance.

She has spent the last few days cleaning and reorganizing both her stores, preparing to reopen them on Monday.

Shes been doing some sales through social media, and plans to continue curbside delivery to anyone who isnt comfortable shopping inside.

I think it will be slow for people to feel comfortable coming back out, she said.

She also knows some customers who have spent weeks eating less than healthy food might not want to buy her chocolate. So, shes hoping people will consider buying it for first responders or health care workers. Shell facilitate the delivery, she said.

Ross is trying to navigate the pandemic on her own with only a little help from fellow small business owners.

Many malls in North Texas had help from large ownership groups.

Grapevine Mills, The Shops at Clearfork, and University Park Village are all owned by Simon.

Grapevine Mills General Manager Joe Szymaszek said Simon helped guide him through something he'd never experienced in 30 years in retail.

About 50 of Grapevine Mills' tenants reopened Friday and he expects more to open in the coming days.

Abbotts order restricts malls to 25% capacity.

Weve actually reduced the number of entrances that we have accessible to the customer so we can monitor that occupancy level, Szymaszek said. Typically we have six main mall entrances, right now only two are open.

He said shoppers can use the entrances by Neiman Marcus and Lego Land.

Seats at the food court are closed. Access to bathrooms is limited. Hand sanitizer stations are out.

He said all Simon employees and contractors have their temperatures taken every day and must wear a mask and gloves. Individual retailers are responsible for their own protocols, he said.

He said all Simon employees and contractors have their temperatures taken every day and must wear a mask and gloves. Individual retailers are responsible for their own protocols, he said.

The mall is giving away free masks to customers.

We feel good about what we have in place, he said. But we certainly understand if a consumer wants to wait a month, a week, two weeks until they feel more comfortable coming.

Ross said the last few weeks have been incredibly difficult, but she knows the next few months will be too.

Im ready for normal, but we dont know what that looks like right now, she said.

Read more:
Texas told store owners they could reopen Friday. So, did they? - WFAA.com

AUSTIN, Texas While some Austin restaurants aren't ready quite yet to welcome in patrons, other local eateries are ready to have some life back in their dining rooms.

On any given Friday night, El Arroyo is packed to the brim with hungry customers. While that can't happen quite yet, on Friday, dozens of families ate on the patio for the first time in weeks.

"It's just awesome to have the human interaction, other than the humans we've been working with, you can tell everybody else is happy because there's a lot of restaurants staying closed right now," said El Arroyo employee Kaela Barrientes.

RELATED:

LIST: Austin businesses close permanently during COVID-19 pandemic

Will coffee shops open their sitting areas?

Checklist: Heres what Texas restaurants are recommended to do when they reopen May 1

Parties of no bigger than five were seated in separate areas on the patio. Employees are required to be checked for symptoms and wear masks during their shifts.

Austin resident Justine Meyer said she initially stopped in to pick up her to-go order but saw that the patio was open so she decided to dine in.

"Just seeing other people enjoying themselves also I think that was the main thing, just a good atmosphere instead of the fear we've been feeling," said Meyer.

El Arroyo is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for lunch and dinner.

WATCH:Reopening Texas Phase 1: Here's what you can expect

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Texans seen drinking margaritas on the patio of El Arroyo, as restaurants re-open Friday - KVUE.com