Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again. Processing… I already get the newsletter Over the past year, restaurant owners have lamented being at the mercy of the weather. Surprise squalls and cold snaps thwarted customers’ outdoor dining plans and dollars, metaphorically speaking, slipped down storm drains. Other tortured proprietors had to expand or shrink their staff like an accordion as the city loosened and tightened indoor dining capacity. Still more said they had to cut the cord on the notion that the “customer is always right” when diners wouldn’t adhere to regulations set by the city.