New York Reuters reported that space bubbles are ‘frothing up business’ at a New York bistro, offering fresh air in safe capsules on sidewalks.
The plastic tents, which take a minute to set up and take down, have become an attraction at Café du Soleil located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday that New York is committed to making outdoor dining a permanent option for the thousands of restaurants that have embraced the concept since the pandemic struck in the spring.
To keep outdoor patrons warm through the autumn and winter months, the city will allow restaurants to use certain heaters and enclosed tents. Restaurants can also reopen for indoor dining at 25 per cent capacity on Wednesday.
Café du Soleil owner Alain Chevreux saw the bubbles online in July when he was figuring out how to stay in business. The limited indoor capacity of 20 seats would not be enough to pay his chef, cooks and other staff.
Fifteen bubbles at $400 a pop have saved his business. The capsules hold six people, and customers ask to reserve them over the phone. People have commented that it makes them feel as if they are riding in Cinderella’s carriage.
