Dudley Chateau Reopens For Dining —​ With Igloos

WAYLAND, MA — The Dudley Château reopened for sit-down dining this week featuring a unique option not often seen in the area.

The restaurant is offering diners the option of eating outdoors in heated igloos. The plastic, bubble-like structures have been used across the country during the coronavirus pandemic to keep diners separate, and have come in especially handy during winter months.

The restaurant is offering the igloos in five 90-minute slots per day for parties of four or fewer, and diners do have to pay a $20 sanitation fee to use them, according to the restaurant.

The Dudley Château was forced to close on Dec. 30 after an employee and several patrons tested positive for coronavirus. The restaurant reopened on Jan. 8 offering takeout and free delivery, including beer and wine.

Following the Château's closure, two other Wayland restaurants, Mel's Commonwealth Café and The Villa Restaurant, have had to close after employees tested positive.

The Dudley Château owners initially projected the sit-down dining suspension would last through February, but local coronavirus infections have fallen since December. Wayland on Jan. 7 joined the over 200 communities in Massachusetts on the "high-risk" list for infections, but fell off one week later. Gov. Charlie Baker this week also lifted restrictions he put in place in November to slow the spread of the virus.