Blizzard Dining Offered By NYC Restaurant With Outdoor Seating

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The massive blizzard and state of emergency wasn't enough for a Hell's Kitchen restaurant to ditch its outdoor dining setup Thursday – though it lit heat lamps to keep its all fresco customers cozy during the arctic freeze.

Aria Hell's Kitchen on West 51st Street and Ninth Avenue had the heaters blaring Thursday luncthime, though nobody was taking advantage of the outdoor seating. Perhaps the inches of snow that had accumulated on the tables and chairs were to blame?

A restaurant employee told Patch that the eatery staff is "still waiting" for somebody to brave the elements and enjoy a meal outside.

Keep up-to-date with the storm by signing up for Patch's real-time news alerts in NYC

"It's happened before on cold days, but today is pretty bad out there," the employee told Patch.

Heavy snow and harsh winds pummeled New York City Thursday, leading city officials to warn New Yorkers to stay home. The powerful "bomb cyclone" storm striking much of the northeast will drop up to 12 inches of snow before it's done, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts as strong as 50 MPH created "near blizzard" conditions in the city, limiting visibility to as little as a quarter-mile and making driving dangerous, the weather service says.

Photo by Liz Lashway/Patch