New restaurant opening at Hotel Vermont

As restaurants reopen, one in Burlington is coming online for the first time this week.

The courtyard behind Hotel Vermont is being transformed into an outdoor dining experience called Brick. It's going to be grill-focused.

The hotel's general manager, Hans van Wees, says it was in the works before COVID-19 hit, but the outdoor dining aligns well with the state's current rules.

The hotel itself still remains closed as they wait to see whether it makes financial sense to reopen.

Van Wees says the new restaurant space is their first chance to get back into hospitality and his team is eager to get back to work.

"It just really made us realize we miss being in the hospitality business, doing what we enjoy the best," van Wees said. "So we want to open that up and get at least a few team members back and feel like we're in the hospitality business."

They're planning on opening Brick to customers by Friday. There will be a limited menu-- but a family-friendly one-- with wood-fired pizzas and grilled items.