Alfresco dining: A onetime lifeline turned summer mainstay for suburban eateries

Embraced out of necessity amid the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for restaurants to operate safely, alfresco dining offered a lifeline for many suburban eateries.

Encouraged and assisted by municipalities, restaurants like Tina G’s Cafe introduced or expanded outdoor seating. When the pandemic hit, Phil and Tina Gilardi — co-owners of the Mundelein restaurant — quadrupled outdoor seating from six tables to more than 30. Patrons responded enthusiastically, recalled Phil Gilardi.

“That summer was crazy busy,” he said. “It didn’t matter how cold it was or how windy it was.”

For restaurateurs like Gilardi and his wife, what began as a means of survival has become a summer mainstay.

In Arlington Heights, village officials responded to pandemic restaurant restrictions by sectioning off two downtown blocks for outdoor dining. Dubbed Arlington Alfresco, the outdoor dining corridor has been an incredible success, according to Arlington Heights Business Development Manager Michael Mertes.

Surveys from 2020 showed 2/3 of business owners found alfresco dining had a positive impact; 85% said it should be an annual event, Mertes said.

Of the 500 residents surveyed, 91.5% had a positive experience and more than 85% said it should be an annual event. Of the 6,000 visitors surveyed, according to Mertes, 98% described their experience as positive and 95% wanted it to be an annual event.

Mertes didn’t share specifics, but he said business owners and restaurateurs saw “a substantial increase in revenue, not just from 2020 but from 2019, the pre-COVID year.”

“Not just the alfresco zone restaurants benefited,” Mertes said, “revenues from other downtown restaurants have gone up substantially in the last five years.”

For Peggy Kinnane’s owners Tim and Stacey Grodek, alfresco seating nearly doubled their capacity. The couple, who took over the Arlington Heights pub from its original owners in 2021, responded by implementing changes. Those changes included hiring more staff and streamlining the menu so the kitchen — built to serve a 250-seat establishment — could accommodate an additional 150 alfresco diners, said Tim Grodek.

“What’s unique about this downtown is the way it was developed,” Grodek said. “With 11 full-service restaurants, it’s unique in the sense that it’s its own little district.”

What initially was a lifeline, evolved into a scene.

“Everybody loved it … they continue to patronize establishments here,” Grodek said. “It’s a great thing for the community. Everybody wins.”

Wheaton officials set up tents along Hale Street to accommodate restaurants during the pandemic, said Allison Orr, executive director of the Downtown Wheaton Association.

“It was extremely successful,” she said of the tents, which are up from May 2 through Oct. 5. “It’s definitely one of the only good things to come out of COVID.”

Gia Mia General Manager Samantha Sokacz agrees. She said the tents doubled the restaurant’s capacity and boosted revenue.

“It has definitely helped businesses,” said Sokacz. And not just dining spots. Boutiques and other shops benefit as well, she said.

According to Orr, Wheaton has seen an influx of new businesses or business expansions downtown. In 2022, 12 new businesses opened there, she said. The following year it increased to 18. Last year, 22 new businesses opened downtown, she said.

“It’s a testament to the ability of the partners to work together to find good solutions,” said Orr. “In this case, the solutions still exist to a problem that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Outdoor dining had always been a priority for Alter Brewing + Kitchen, which was set to open its St. Charles location just as the pandemic struck, said company President Ken Henricks.

“But it was critically important mid- and post-COVID, particularly from May 2020 through September 2020,” said Henricks.

More than half the restaurant’s revenue during that period came from alfresco patrons, he said adding, “without the expanded footprint that the city of St. Charles allowed, I’m not sure we would have made it.”

From 2022 through 2024, outdoor seating generated about 20% of the company’s annual revenue (from its Downers Grove, Oak Brook and St. Charles locations), according to Henricks.

That “is a tremendous percentage given we only operate our outdoor areas with any consistency for five months out of the year,” he said.

“The economic impact of additional traffic and subsequent additional tax dollars is obvious,” he said. Less obvious is the impact alfresco dining has on the community in that it encourages people to gather in “positive, celebratory ways.”

Yet another reason alfresco dining is here to stay.

“As long as it keeps our residents, businesses and visitors happy, I can foresee it continuing for many years,” said Arlington Heights’ Mertes. “It’s a unique experience and a great partnership between community, elected officials and the business community.”