I Hope The Igloo Persists Post Pandemic

One of the revelations that the pandemic forced upon us is the use of the plastic dome affectionately called “the igloo” as a viable outdoor dining option. It allowed any restaurant with the appropriate square footage to continue to serve their costumers in our cold winter months during indoor dining bans. Those igloos may have saved some restaurants from closing.

While the pandemic made the igloo famous, they were actually gaining some traction even before we ever heard of “covid-19.” Restaurants downtown with scenic views already had them available to reserve. Even my good pal John Brand, owner and proud proprietor of the southsides’s Open Outcry Brewing Company had these available the winter of 2018.

The pandemic turned a fun toy into a near necessity.

Another perk of #domelife: privacy, which is a key attribute if you are taking a four and two year old to dinner!

The Jakusz family had an early dinner at Digs on Canal in Lemont, and in the span of 15 minutes, my four year old spilled a cup of ranch, dropped not one, but TWO pieces of pizza and roared like a T-Rex a baker’s dozen times…and the other diners were none the wiser. It takes the stress out of bringing kids to a restaurant!

You could certainly find your way into an igloo before the pandemic if you knew where to look, but I hope they remain as plentiful once we get out of this nightmare!