How is a West Des Moines brewery keeping patrons distanced when it's cold outside? Igloos

Inyoung Choi
Des Moines Register

As winter drives diners inside restaurants already struggling to maintain social distance amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one West Des Moines spot has turned to a novel solution: igloos. 

In late January, Barn Town Brewing, which serves meals and snacks along with its house-made brews, unveiled what it calls the "Barn Town Igloo Farm" — four plastic "igloo" domes on its patio. 

"We're called Barn Town, so it kind of lends itself to the name," said Pete Faber, the founder of the microbrewery. 

The 12-foot-wide igloos are available for rental to private parties of up to eight, with a $200 food and beverage minimum for a two-hour reservation, according to Barn Town's website. Faber said Barn Town aims to provide igloo customers with a "different experience," including a special menu available just for them.

Igloos are seen outside Barn Town Brewing on Feb. 3, 2021, in West Des Moines. Installed at the end of January, the four igloos have small heaters and require a $200 minimum food and drink order.

"I didn't want to just put [the igloos] out there, I wanted to make an experience out of it," Faber said. "Folks these days want a new experience, especially when they can't get out of their house."

The igloos, where guests sit around a coffee table, have small heaters, and Barn Town says each has a medical-grade air purifier. Parties order their food before arriving. The menus, one regular and one for Saturday or Sunday brunch, are posted online. 

The Barn Town website says food is placed in the igloo before guests arrive, and that they may order more if they wish. Most of the items are finger foods intended for party-style sharing, including Thai chicken skewers, sliders, a meat and cheese tray and, for brunch, breakfast burritos.

Igloo company sees 'huge interest'

Even before the pandemic, the igloos had become something of a fad among restaurants in other metro areas. The need for social distance has made them even more popular in places like Detroit and suburban New York, where restaurant restrictions are more stringent than in Iowa.

Faber began thinking about using outdoor igloos last year, but the struggles of operating a restaurant in the pandemic era pushed him to put the idea into action.

"We were down and losing our seating and losing our chairs and tables. I just referred back to that [idea]," Faber said.

At least one igloo company says it has seen an increase in demand during the pandemic. John Susel, manager of Gardenigloo USA, a Florida company that sells 11-foot, 9 inch-wide igloos for $1,449 apiece, said the company has seen "huge interest and a huge demand for the garden igloos" in recent months.

A dining igloo is seen outside Barn Town Brewing on Feb. 3, 2021, in West Des Moines. Installed at the end of January, the four igloos have small heaters and require a $200 minimum food and drink order.

So far, Barn Town appears to be one of the few restaurants or bars in Iowa using the igloos. Kyle Dehmlow, owner of Whiskey Road Tavern and Grill in Cedar Falls, said the cost of the igloos dissuaded him from carrying out his plan to use them.

Dehmlow said he bought a dome to use at his restaurant in late spring 2020 as he explored the possibility, but ultimately "moved on from that idea" when the price increased and the igloos were backordered from the manufacturer. 

He said it wasn't clear to him that he would be able to recoup the cost of the igloos, or that they would be much of a draw for customers.

With money tight in the pandemic recession, "It just seemed to be too big of a risk," he said, adding, "The only thing we would have known definitely is we would have spent this money." 

For subscribers:

Faber agreed that the domes "obviously" present a risk, but said he decided to pursue the idea because conversations with friends and contacts who had igloos made him believe "it would probably be worth the risk to try to do something different."

So have these igloos been a success? It's too early to tell. Faber said that the restaurant served its first Igloo customers only recently. 

Jessica Dunker, president of Iowa Restaurant Association said, the igloos aren't for every restaurant owner.

"It's a significant investment, so you had to know that you could use them often enough, sanitize them efficiently, that staff was comfortable going into them, and that at the end of the day you would draw in enough customers to make it a cost-effective decision," Dunker said. "So for some situations, that would make sense and for others, it doesn't."

But are they safe? 'In some cases.'

So are igloos a safe way to dine out?

Based on advice from the Cleveland Clinic about dining risks, it would appear that igloos fall between outdoor dining, the safest option — though impractical in an Iowa winter — and indoor dining, the least safe.

"I think these Igloos are, in some cases, especially if you're the only group in there, probably fine," said Dr. Emily Landon, executive medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago. 

"But is it safe enough for somebody? We don't have any real data about that," Landon said. "In other words, there's no evidence that supports being able to make people safe in the setting of indoor dining, even in indoor in a tent where there's multiple people, when somebody comes in that has asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic COVID and you can't tell who has asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic COVID."

A crucial question is how much air is ventilated, according to public health experts. 

"Ventilation is the key to reducing your risk from exposure, and it determines the ability of the virus to dissipate in the air," said Thomas Peters, a professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa. 

"If they have enough ventilation that you feel chilly enough to wear your coat, then you might be OK," Landon said. "If you are in a tent that's really warm and cozy, and it's not really drafty, and there's a lot of other people in there — probably not very safe. So the more comfortable it is, the less safe it is."

GrubHub delivery and online sales:How to get Girl Scout cookies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Barn Town, in a set of frequently-asked-questions on it website about the igloos, cautions that patrons should "come dressed for a winter activity."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency does not specifically address igloos, but pointed to guidance on the CDC's website that "if a tent is set up outdoors, make sure that at least one side is open or rolled up. An enclosed tent is like eating indoors."

The igloos at Barn Town, according to Faber, have two zipper windows each. The restaurant cleans and sanitizes the igloos between each party, Faber said, adding that — as pointed out on the Barn Town website — each has an air purifier.

Just as in most restaurants and bars in Iowa, seated guests may remove face masks, but must wear them whenever they are elsewhere at Barn Town, such as visiting the restrooms, the brewery's website says.

Barn Town on its website FAQ asks igloo guests to use common sense when it comes to their safety.

"If you have a reservation for an igloo, and you or anyone of your party members have Covid-19 or are experiencing Covid-19 like symptoms, we ask that you do the right thing and let us know so we can cancel your reservation. We will happily refund you and do our best to find a date to reschedule your party to an open reservation when you and your party members are healthy."