From the outside, you can really see how the outdoor seating area was being used for Mother's Day overflow floral prep on this visit. It's possible this area was closed for the season, but the heaters seem to indicate that it was intended to be a mostly year-round space. More likely, it just never reopened after COVID, like so many other in-store eating areas at Safeway and other chains. The 2010s-era trend of adding cafe seating areas (and sometimes even more elaborate in-store bars and restaurants) seems to have been a complete flop at all but the highest-end stores.
Even though the cafe seating area blocks the mural, I actually think using the mural as a backdrop for the seating area was a good idea, at least when this area was in use.
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