Newtown Harvest Offering Heated Outdoor Igloos

NEWTOWN, PA — Restaurant owners have had to get creative during the COVID-19 pandemic, building heated, outdoor tents, patios and igloos to keep customers warm but safe during their dining experience.

As owner of the Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar chain of restaurants, Dave Magrogan is no stranger to the ups and downs of the industry. The restauranteur laid off hundreds of workers in March following the COVID-19 shutdown.

When restrictions were lifted in June, the Newtown location began offering outdoor dining, but cold weather has proved to another hurdle for most restaurants.

While the cold weather may deter most people from eating outside, Magrogan is hoping to draw in more customers by deploying heated outdoor igloos at his area restaurants, including 12 pods at his restaurant in the Village at Newtown.

Most of the pods can comfortably seat six to eight guests, he said.

"Guests like them but were also anxious to return to indoor dining," MaGrogan told Patch. "Our guests know we are following all requirements for safe indoor dining so they feel comfortable in our restaurants."

Along with the Newtown location, which opened in 2018, there are nine Harvest restaurants in the region, including locations in North Wales and Radnor.

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