Stephen Starr and other restaurant owners shut down outdoor dining in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C., because of smoke

It’s been a while since restaurant customers had to seek out nonsmoking sections, but the wildfires sending plumes of pollution across the Eastern United States have sent people indoors to find clean air.

An added element of irony — that it might be safer to dine indoors than outdoors — was not lost on Peter Hwang, who owns SouthGate, a bar-restaurant at 18th and Lombard Streets. He is again offering N95 masks to staff and customers. “I mean, everyone has a supply left over from COVID,” he said Thursday, the second day that his streetery was idled by the smoke.

Across the Eastern Seaboard, outdoor dining suddenly became unpopular.

Rittenhouse Square’s vaunted sidewalk dining scene was quiet Thursday on what otherwise might have been a busy sunny spring day as restaurateurs and patrons took stock of the poor air quality.

Parc and Devon Seafood Grill were not seating outside and had their windows closed. A few outside patrons were seen at Rouge, however.

Although some local restaurateurs are keeping their streeteries and sidewalk tables available, there are not many takers.

Stephen Starr said the outdoor dining areas at 12 of his 40 restaurants in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C., were shut down today. He said Josh Levine, Starr’s chief operating officer, made the call this morning after seeing the air-quality index.

“We didn’t want to put the customers and staff in harm’s way,” Starr said, adding that some waiters had expressed concern.

Cafe Click at the Comcast Center, a Starr restaurant whose seating is exclusively outdoors, was closed altogether. Indoor dining at other restaurants, meanwhile, was unaffected, as was takeout business.

Starr said it would decide Friday when to reopen.

Hwang, at SouthGate, had set up a few outside tables to convey that the restaurant was open Wednesday night but got only a few takers. Most were opting to sit indoors or order food for delivery.

Hwang said he cautioned his employees to wear a mask whenever they are outside, but “they don’t need to be outside very much here. It’s only a few steps.”