East Bay eaters eager to dine al fresco at reopened restaurants

CONCORD, CA—A break in the rainy weather opened the door, or rather the sidewalks and patios, to customers who have missed eating away from home for the past few months.

While indoor dining at restaurants is barely a memory these days, outdoor dining was shut down in late 2020. The state restricted sidewalk/patio dining when COVID-19 cases spiked and hospital ICU capacity dropped after the holidays.

But health officials lifted outdoor dining restrictions this week, leaving restaurants scrambling to reopen their outdoor sections. Heavy rains midweek put a damper on the reopenings, however.

Cold but sunny

A break in the rain on Friday gave hungry diners a chance to eat out once again. In Concord, many took advantage of the cool but sunny day. Lunchtime diners were seen filling the spaced-out seating at eateries in Todos Santos Plaza like The Hop Grenade and Spaghetti Factory.

The afternoon warmed up a bit, which helped restaurants that didn’t yet have outdoor heaters set up.

Restaurants continue to be among the businesses hardest hit by the pandemic. Reopened outdoor dining may help them as they struggle to keep staff working and the rent paid.

Concord Comfort Food Week

The newly reopened outdoor dining also means you can take advantage of the final days of Concord’s Comfort Food Week. The annual event is promoted by Visit Concord.

A free passport to Comfort Food Week gives you a chance for prizes and perks when you support local restaurants. The promotion ends Sunday, Jan. 31, but it’s not too late to take advantage. Prizes are awarded every day. To learn more and sign up, click here.

The forecast for this weekend says partly sunny skies will continue until Monday. And it looks like many customers will take advantage of the chance to enjoy a non-home-cooked meal. Said one hungry diner when asked for a comment, “Don’t bother me, I’m eating.”