Corby Kummer: How Safe Are Outdoor Dining Tents?

Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about the different approaches to outdoor dining tenting.

“New York says if you have outdoor tenting, then 50% of the wall space has to be open,” he said. “That seems absolutely right, at the minimum, so two of the sides have to be open to the fresh air.”

However many restaurants aren’t abiding by these guidelines, Kummer noted. “What we’re seeing is the equivalent to giant igloos or tents, that are deathtraps,” he said. “There is no circulation at all, and that’s a clear violation of what any city should be doing.”

The larger picture is that safe outdoor dining is the best way to dine, Kummer added. “That is what restaurants should be investing in.”

Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.