Restaurants open patios to take advantage of warmth

By SHAWN SHINNEMAN - sshinneman@shawmedia.com

Local restaurant owners are taking advantage of unseasonably warm temperatures to lure customers in, and then out.

They say, March is teasing us, said George Karas, owner of The Village Squire in Crystal Lake. I bet you in a week or two it wont be like this, so we want to sit outside.

Karas is among a number of local restaurant owners whove made hurried arrangements to open their outdoor seating earlier than planned. And he, like others, has found the option to sit outside is enough to coax more people out for an evening.

Karas said he was originally planning to open the patio at his location in Crystal Lake on April 15, but adjusted that date based on the weather and multiple requests from customers in order to open Friday.

The weather definitely has people coming out more and enjoying the outdoor [seating], he said. They say the mai tais and rum barrels taste better on the patio.

Its a welcomed bump in sales in a month that, last year, didnt see a single day reach 70 degrees. Last week, the thermometer read 80 four days in a row, according to AccuWeather.com.

We have seen a jump, especially with the local high school right there, said Christina Reyna, general manager at Trio Grille in Marengo, which is located near Marengo Community High School. A lot of teachers, when they get out, come over here so they can sit outside.

Reyna said the patio at Trio Grille had a busy week, including a party of about 20 seated outside Saturday night.

Its been similarly busy in other parts of the county. Both La Petite Creperie and Bistrot, in Woodstock, and LEiffel Bistrot, in South Barrington, have seen sales increase with the temperatures.

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Restaurants open patios to take advantage of warmth