DENVER — A warm Italian meal on a snowy Denver day can be the perfection combination.
"Red wine, pasta, all of that really brings people to us seeking that comfort food," said general manager of Luca, Carli Jessup.
But for many, dining outside in colder temperatures is not a comfortable option.
"You don’t really want to be snowed on when you’re ordering a lovely entrée dish," said Jessup.
So, restaurants like Luca are having to get creative once again.
"It will be an enclosed patio structure with heat lamps coming in," said Jessup.
It’s something the rest of the restaurants near Grant Street and 17th Avenue could also get behind.
"We’ve talked to many other restaurants around the city that are also doing things like building enclosures or outdoor spaces, or indoor-outdoor combinations in between," said Jessup.
The goal isn’t only to bring in more guests, but to fight the spread of COVID-19, as Colorado has seen an increase in cases.
"We’ve heard rumors and things that as we move forward — and as we’ve seen this past week, how many cases have been reported — that we might have to move to a 25% capacity or maybe we’ll have another shutdown all over again and that does worry us," said Jessup.
They’re willing to do everything they can to keep the doors open and staff working all while keeping people safe.
