Restaurants, bars scramble for propane amid pandemic winter

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A scramble is on as restaurant and bar managers trying to keep customers warm outside this winter try to maintain a steady supply of propane for space heaters.

Propane is proving crucial as businesses serve customers at tables that have been set up on sidewalks, streets and patios to comply with coronavirus restrictions.

Running out of propane and facing chilly customers is a constant risk and high demand means propane exchange tanks aren’t always easy to find.

Bar and restaurant managers in Fort Collins, Colorado, say they’ve sometimes had to drive around town looking to exchange tanks that have run dry.