Your guide to patio dining in Sioux Falls

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — After a long, brutal winter the warming temperatures in the forecast are a welcome sign that spring, and soon summer, are just around the corner.

That warmer weather translates to increased business for Carpenter Bar in downtown Sioux Falls as they set out their patio furniture for the summer.

“It does double our capacity, so, usually doubles our revenue generally,” managing partner Brian White said Monday. “I think it just adds to the appeal of the business a little bit when you can sit outside and breathe fresh air and enjoy yourself in the sun while having a drink.”

Sioux Falls has a plethora of patios for the warmer months of the year, mostly concentrated in the downtown area. That includes Highball, which shares an owner with Carpenter.

“I think downtown, in general in the summertime, it’s a good place where people can not necessarily have to commit to one stop for the night you know,” White continued. “I like to see people down moving around downtown and, you know us having three bars, whenever somebody asks where to go next I’ll say, ‘The Treasury and after Treasury, I’ll say Highball and it kind of just adds to the appeal of downtown when people can wander about and check out a bunch of different spots.”

The last few weekends haven’t been ideal for patio sitting, but White hopes a favorable forecast will bring people out to enjoy outdoor dining spaces, whether at Carpenter or elsewhere.

“Certainly a great investment and Carpenter Bar is a pretty small space so it is nice that we can double the occupancy with the patio open and that also applies at Highball,” White said.