Durham's Honeysuckle at Lakewood gets creative with "hive" outdoor dining concept

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Honeysuckle at Lakewood in Durham has come up with a new outdoor concept to keep customers safe and socially distant.

Owner Tom Meyer built several private hives on the one-acre property to give customers an outdoor experience in the cooler temperatures.

The restaurant and bar -- owned by the same owners who operate the popular Honeysuckle Tea House farm in Orange County -- opened in September.

"We want to have an outdoor experience," explained Meyer. "And, so, they're fully heated. We've got lights, they're COVID-friendly and easy to sanitize between uses. And for us, they give us two things that we can do with them. One is, when it's cold, you can come in and be warm and have a great meal. When it gets warm again, and it will, the doors come open, and now it becomes a relief from the heat. So, they're transportable and we can take them to our farm where we have twenty acres," Meyer added.

Meyer built six private hives at the Honeysuckle at Lakewood for dining.

Reservations can be made, otherwise, the hives are first come first served.