With a drill, a box of screws, and locally sourced lumber, Dan Palladino’s enclosed patio starts to come together.

What You Need To Know

  • Throughout the pandemic, restaurants have been scrambling to keep up with the regulations. Now, they’re working to get ahead of the weather

  • Heritage Hill Brewhouse has spent about $35,000 on upgrades to winterize its outdoor dining

  • An Onondaga County economic development program will help restaurant owners expand outdoor dining

“These plexiglass sheets right here are $130 a piece now, so it’s $5,200 just in Plexiglass, which is expensive, but the alternative …” said Palladino, the owner of Heritage Hill Brewhouse.

Between building supplies and heaters, Palladino estimated he’s spent about $35,000 on supplies to winterize his outdoor seating areas. He said the cost is worth it if he can keep those tables full for an extra few months.

“You know, it’s a time to be creative and take some risks, and so far, the risks that we took have had a nice reward, and we’re hoping that this will be the same,” said Palladino.

An Onondaga County economic development program will help restaurant owners like Palladino. It’s offering to reimburse up to $5,000 spent to extend outdoor dining.

That’s an added bonus for Palladino, who has more ideas.

“So I’m trying to make it kind of like a winter fun place, so you can bring the kids," said Palladino. "I’ll put a sledding hill in, put fire pits outside.”

In the meantime, he’ll turn the new heaters on in the barn in an effort to brew business year-round and keep his staff employed.