Midori Sushi and Martini Lounge to offer igloo seating downtown during trial period
A transparent dome sits outside City Hall Feb. 11. Igloo seating is becoming popular at Michigan restaurants and allows individuals to dine outdoors in cold weather.
Igloo seating is becoming popular across Michigan in cities like Bay City, Detroit and Grand Rapids. Mount Pleasant now has one of the transparent domes, which allow for individuals to dine outdoors in cold weather.
On Feb. 11, the Mount Pleasant City Commission approved a pilot program allowing Midori Sushi and Martini Lounge to offer igloo seating from Feb. 12 to March 15, 2019.
"(Igloo seating) makes for a fun, unique atmosphere for those people who like to be outside in the cold weather while providing warmth within the igloo," City Manager Nancy Ridley said.
Rick Swindlehurst, owner of Blue Gator Sports Pub and Grill and Cheers Neighborhhod Grill and Bar, said his son Rich got the idea after visiting Novi and Petoskey, which are using innovative ideas to improve their downtown.
“Our town needs new things to bring more people downtown,” Swindlehurst said. “If you looked 45 years ago, before (Rich and I) put Midori downtown, you’d drive downtown at night and there would be no one there.”
Swindlehurst admits he did not know for sure Midori would be successful, but now claims all it took to awaken Mount Pleasant’s nightlife was “one business with great cocktails and Asian cuisine.”
Swindlehurst believes igloo seating will improve Mount Pleasant’s downtown dining experience by providing a heated area for eight customers to enjoy the outdoors.
The outdoor seating also solves the restaurant’s need for more space, Swindlehurst said.
Commissioner Lori Gillis said she was hesitant to the idea of igloo seating, claiming it will be a traffic hazard.
Commissioner Tony Kulick also had a few reservations about the dome, like a possible tripping hazard from the rubber humps used to cover the electrical cables run to a space heater within the apparatus, but said these could be easily solved by running electricity underground or overhead.
Mayor Will Joseph addressed these concerns. He said the Department of Public Safety felt comfortable with the pilot program, but there may be some “unforeseen consequences.”
“City staff felt very comfortable this will be a successful product,” the mayor said. “It could enrich downtown and bring people out to our restaurants.”
The apparatus being installed downtown has an almost 12 foot diameter and a max height of just over seven feet, according to an email to the commission from Michelle Sponseller, Downtown Development Director.
There were also concerns raised about the stability and longevity of the structure made of non-corrosive, recyclable PVC.
Swindlehurst admitted the current model being used for the pilot probably will not last a year, but said there will be more expensive and better igloos looked into if the pilot is successful.
If the pilot works, Swindlehurst also expects the commission to extend the period he can have the igloo in use.
When asked if he would install igloos at his other restaurants, Swindlehurst said he doesn’t see igloos at his other restaurants as helpful, because there is no need for extra space.
