INDIANAPOLIS — It’s not a festive wintertime decoration or a sign that a business is moving out…it’s a new twist on dining out during the pandemic.
Ellison Brewing Company has put heated igloos outside, with tables, chairs, and board games inside. Aaron Hansen, Ellison Brewing’s owner, said it’s similar to eating inside, but without the risk.
“It’s a 12-foot diameter plastic bubble, essentially,” he said. “There’s an air gap under the bottom of it, so you get a lot of fresh air in through that. The door is open as well, so even though there’s a heater in there we’re still sanitizing all the surfaces. We’re letting the air out for at least 10 to 15 minutes.”
He told WISH-TV they’ve noticed that if people are going to come out they want to do it for a purpose and experience.
Another business in Irvington, Strange Bird, has moving pods in its parking lot. There are ten moving and storage pods decked out with string lights, and tables inside.
“I read through the user agreement, thoroughly, and it says, you know can’t live in them,” said owner, Neal Hansen.
But, it says nothing about eating in there, and Hansen said a lot of people are comfortable with it.
“Especially once it gets dark, it starts to twinkle a little bit, and you kind of forget you’re in a storage container in a parking lot.”
Both businesses let six people inside an igloo or pod, which is based on the county’s coronavirus guidelines.
Visit Indy has also made grant money, $2,500 in assistance, available to help businesses with winterization and outdoor dining, more than 100 businesses have applied so far.
