City restaurant recognized on national list of best outdoor dining areas

By Tim Kalinowski on October 22, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

The Firestone Restaurant and Bar has been recognized by OpenTable as having one of the best outdoor dining areas in the country. 
“It’s a nice feather in the cap, for sure,” says owner Jeff Gliege, who was thrilled to be among OpenTable’s top 100 in this category. “We’re very appreciative to the community for supporting us, and it definitely helps with our recognition in the community.”
Gliege says a lot of thought, care and attention went into setting up the outdoor dining area when the restaurant opened 11 years ago. He wanted an atmosphere that was modern, classy, welcoming and warm.
“We did have the space to do a fairly large patio, and we wanted to do some neat features out there,” says Gliege. “With the pool we have put in, fireplaces and fire bowls, I think that adds to the ambiance, and with the high glass toward Mayor Magrath Drive. We do spend $8,000 a year on flowers, which I think makes a huge difference in the atmosphere out there every year.
“We compliment that with our lemonade stand menu, which sell thousands of lemonades out there every year. We started that 10 years ago.”
While the outdoor patio is now closed for the season with the chill now in the autumn air, Gliege says the restaurant will try to re-open that patio area as soon as it can in the spring once again. In the meantime, says Gliege, the atmosphere of the interior dining area is just as warm and inviting.
“We want (our guests) to be relaxed,” he says. “My true belief is we want people to celebrate everything. There is lots of things that are not good, not happy, and are kind of a bummer sometimes. So whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or just spending times with friends, we definitely want to have that atmosphere where people can come and have good memories.” 

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