Restaurant-Retailers Think Outside the Box and Grab Outdoor Space

Restaurants are re-thinking real estate in the slow-reopening phase of the pandemic recovery, driven by a 50 to 75% reduction on interior customer capacity that will last months longer than many had expected. One trend, the push to allow table service on more outdoor sidewalks, plazas and even streets, is likely to be more permanent, according to Linda Gates, co-founder of Gates + Associates landscape architects.

“With the pandemic forcing a lot of the reasons and demand for change, we are seeing cities and public agencies speed up approvals for utilizing outdoor spaces, creating new parklets, and giving businesses more options to thrive amid challenging times,” Gates tells GlobeSt.com. “And we think it will have lasting impact on neighborhood retail and shopping center design.”