Add Rainstorms to the List of Restaurants’ 2020 Headaches
A 5 p.m. shower can cut business by 95% for restaurants that have gone exclusively al fresco amid the pandemic.
As if restaurants didn't have enough to deal with amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an ill-timed rainstorm can now wipe out a day's worth of profit.
That’s why Dale Talde, owner of Goosefeather restaurant in Tarrytown, N.Y., wakes up every day and immediately checks the weather report. Almost 90% of the seats at his Westchester restaurant are now outside, so a sudden downpour means hauling his 50-pound tables, made for indoor dining, back to shelter. Then, if the sun comes back out, it’s time to set up the shade umbrellas—which are anchored by 80-pound weights.