WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Restaurants are trying to achieve the difficult balance of making money and keeping guests safe. The Katharine Brasserie & Bar in Winston-Salem is one of them.
Like many other restaurants, they had to close their dining room for four months. They reopened for a reduced number of guests in the Cardinal Hotel downtown - only to have cold weather put a damper on more guests coming in.
"We were losing 725 ft.² of patio space where everybody felt really comfortable to dine during the warmer months," Natalie Horne, the general manager, said. "We were seeing a ton of people still come to visit The Katharine. They felt more comfortable outside, so as it got cooler, we're losing that square footage and my servers are losing those gratuities, and our owners are also losing that revenue."
Horne said losing outdoor seating already at 50% capacity was causing them to miss out on 35 seats a night. So, the restaurant decided to get creative and find a way for you to eat inside, while you're outside in a safe and festive way - with snow globes. You can reserve a globe on their patio for you and a few guests to enjoy drinks and food.
"Look at this fun, tiny Christmas with your three people that you're comfortable with, instead of going to this huge party and having all these people you don't know around you," Horne said. "You still get Christmas, just safely."
The globes are decked out for the holiday season, but they'll be up through March with different themes, so the restaurant can utilize its outdoor space. Next month, you can escape to your very own beach bubble when they change the globes and menu to a Luau theme.