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Outdoor dining, also known as
al fresco dining or dining alfresco, is eating outside.
In
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the
summer
Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...
months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining that is casual and often party-like in its atmosphere.
In order to promote and accommodate the pedestrian activity and vibrancy associated with al fresco dining, some communities have passed
ordinances permitting it at restaurants, including the service of food and alcoholic beverages to customers at pavement tables, until late at night.
Etymology
The phrase ''al fresco'' composed of two words, is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool/fresh
ir. 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
ir). In Italian, the expression ''
al fresco
Alfresco may refer to:
* ''Al fresco'', or fresco, a technique of mural painting
* Al fresco dining
* Alfresco Software
Alfresco Software is a collection of information management software products for Microsoft Windows and Unix-like opera ...
'' usually refers to spending time in jail.
COVID-19 pandemic
In 2020, responding to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, cities increased the options for restaurants to offer outdoor dining, in order to promote open space, encourage
social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
, and help businesses economically recover from the pandemic's impact. 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. The use of bubble tents or outdoor dining pods also increased during the pandemic. Before the pandemic these pod installations were very rare. Although these pods offer better protection against the virus, they have been criticized for their lack of air ventilation.
See also
*
Sidewalk cafe
The SideWalk Cafe was a music venue and restaurant/cafe in East Village, New York City founded in 1985. It became a known venue for its underground music scene, and in particular, was known as being the center for Anti-folk in the United Stat ...
*
Outstanding in the Field
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Al Fresco Dining
Serving and dining