LYNN — Nightshade Noodle Bar is the first Lynn restaurant to benefit from a new outdoor dining experience created by Beyond Walls.
The new installation, dubbed WaSH and FoLD, is aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, while at the same time creating a more aesthetically pleasing outdoor dining experience for restaurant patrons.
The WaSH component, or hand washing station, was installed at the Exchange Street restaurant in June, but the FoLD, or stainless steel barrier that protects the outdoor dining space from traffic, was not set up until Tuesday.
The FoLD barrier was built with the ability to be expanded or contracted and has room for flowers and plantings to create a more visually appealing look. There is also the ability to attach poles to the barrier to provide outdoor lighting, according to Beyond Walls CEO and Founder Al Wilson.
“It’s basically a much better aesthetic look than just putting out the orange parking barriers or the concrete versions,” said Wilson. “At Nightshade Noodle Bar, outdoor dining for them is really critical. It gives protection as well as delineation for outdoor dining.”
Rachel Miller, chef and owner of Nightshade Noodle Bar, said she has not been able to offer indoor dining since her restaurant was allowed to reopen, which put the onus on creating a pleasant outdoor dining experience.
Her first priority was to provide a hand washing station on the restaurant’s street patio buildout to cut down on people entering the restaurant to wash up. The food at Nightshade can be messy to eat, Miller said, which highlighted the importance of having the washing station.
Before Wilson “swooped in and saved the day” by informing her that “FoLD,” was an option, Miller said the restaurant was going to work toward purchasing their own barricades.
It was a welcome reprieve for Miller, who had only opened Nightshade five months before the start of the coronavirus outbreak and resulting business closures.
After getting approval from the city’s health department and Mayor Thomas M. McGee, Beyond Walls enlisted the help of Steve Hirsch, of Hirsch Landscaping, Steve Hanley, and students from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute for the installation.
Beyond Walls provided the materials and setup in kind, Hirsch donated the landscaping and plantings, and Hanley is the local contractor who built the restaurant’s deck, Wilson said.
Installing the plantings, which Miller plans to use in some of her recipes at the restaurant, had to be put on hold due to the incoming storm on Tuesday, but the installation is expected to be completed by the weekend, she said.
“I think it’s incredible,” said Miller. “I think it’s really nice for the community. Ambiance is a big part of how we operate here so it’s really nice to have something nice to look at but also feel safe in the street for outdoor dining in downtown Lynn. We’re really happy to be able to offer that.”
The FoLD built at Nightshade Noodle Bar was a first for Beyond Walls, but Wilson said his organization has received interest in WaSH and FoLd installations from four other restaurants, including Tacos Lupita in Lynn, and from establishments in cities as far as Nashua, N.H.
Beyond Walls initially created the products as a way to mitigate the spread of the virus by serving the city’s vulnerable populations. Wilson said it became apparent from the feedback they received that with bars and cafes closed during the outbreak, some people were lacking a place to wash their hands.
After city approval, hand washing stations were installed at My Brother’s Table, Lynn Community Health Center, and the Lynn YMCA, which has been serving as an alternative homeless center during the outbreak.
But then Beyond Walls continued to modify its design to better support outdoor dining for restaurants that have been devastated by COVID-19, Wilson said.
“The city has been very supportive,” said Wilson. “It’s really cool that we’re headquartered in Lynn, in an old machine shop, and we’re manufacturing here again.”
