They offer more seating on sidewalks, on boardwalk, curbside service
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Sentinel
OCEAN CITY — Many normal aspects of daily life are very different this summer, especially with the indefinite delay of indoor dining at New Jersey restaurants.
Owners are modifying business plans to incorporate alternative dining options not previously offered, such as outdoor seating, takeout meals and online ordering.
Under an executive order passed July 8, restaurants can “offer in-person dining service in areas with a fixed roof if two sides are open, comprising over 50 percent of their total wall space. These areas are considered outdoor.”
“Of all the places around, we have one of those unique situations around us where we truly are an open-air restaurant,” Oves Restaurant owner Chris Oves said. “We have the ocean air and our dining room is wide open [with no windows or doorways].”
Oves Restaurant is spreading out tables farther than the suggested 6 feet apart, he said, and employees are required to wear masks and gloves. Surfaces are sanitized between each use.
“Masks are required to enter the restaurant. It’s that simple and non-negotiable,” Oves said. “My concern is the safety of both my employees and customers.”
Oves has always offered takeout service and added online ordering for pickup at the counter. Customers can order the popular doughnuts and breakfast sandwiches from 7 to 10:30 a.m. The online menu and service hours will continue to be expanded.
“We had to adapt; if you don’t adapt you’re selecting yourself for extinction,” Oves said. “We are thinking about adding a delivery service but we aren’t sure about that yet.”
Before Gov. Phil Murphy changed the mandate allowing for open-air service, restaurants such as Oves had to reduce employee hours to survive.
This season, adding curbside pickup is a change for Sack O’ Subs. The deli offered dine-in before the pandemic and has always offered takeout and delivery. Adding curbside was an accommodation to meet the needs of customers.
“We have a lot of people who prefer indoor dining and there are regulars we don’t see as much as we’d like,” Sack O’ Subs manager Angela Sacco said. “To look on the bright side, we do a great takeout and delivery business, so we are glad we can still do that.”
Both Sack O’ Subs employees and customers are required to wear masks in the shop. Customers wait outside for their takeout orders and the shop monitors the number of people inside the store at any given time.
“Offering curbside is a little more work; we take the payments ahead of time,” Sacco said. “But we have adjusted to it and are doing what makes the customers feel comfortable getting their food.”
The shop is busy but Sacco said it feels different without the ability to serve inside.
Voltaco’s Italian Foods has always been strictly takeout but started offering curbside pickup. There are picnic benches outside the store, but no table service is offered.
“We are happy to run [food] out [to our] customers,” Voltaco’s owner Joe Taccarino said. “We have a PA system out front and we call their name, if they want to wait and come inside to pick up.”
Changes Voltaco’s has made include employees wearing masks and gloves, plexiglass shields, extra sanitization and the new curbside pickup.
“We were always vigilant about cleaning but this is the quantum leap in vigilance,” Taccarino said. “We are taking it one day at a time; you never know what’s going to happen.”
Adjusting to the COVID-19 restaurant regulations requires owners to monitor changes issued by executive orders.
“If people had told us on Jan. 1 how the world would be by July 15, we would’ve said ‘you’re crazy,’” Taccarino said. “It’s funny how quickly we can adjust. Our sales have gone up, by nature of takeout.”
On Asbury Avenue, Jon & Patty’s Coffee Bar and Bistro provides outdoor seating that can accommodate 40 to 45 people. For to-go orders, there is a plexiglass barrier at the front door.
“We are fortunate to have outdoor seating and the weather has been great,” manager Karen Matthews said. “Not having indoor seating has cut down on the number of people we feed but we’re doing the best with what we [can].”
New changes to accommodate more sanitization and fewer high-touch points includes individually wrapped silverware, single-use condiments and disposable cups. Restrooms are available for customers to use and are cleaned after each use.
“Our takeout has really increased a lot and we now have website ordering that is working out really well,” Matthews said.
In addition to having hand sanitizer available, the tables, chairs and menus are wiped down after customers leave.
Yianni’s Café has expanded outdoor seating for diners as well as options for takeout and curbside pickup. The café has always offered takeout, and the demand has only increased this summer. Owner Yianni Siganos said he started offering online ordering, something totally new to him.
“It’s a very good idea to have curbside pickup,” Siganos said. “It’s a bit difficult because sometimes people park two blocks away, but we handle it and so far, everything is going OK.”
With seating reduced to only outdoor options, businesses have been working with the city to create outdoor seating plans.
“Ocean City works together and does everything they can to support dining outside and I’d like to thank them for that,” he added.
Yianni’s Café went from 80 indoor seats to 28 outdoor seats. Paper menus are offered to outdoor diners. Siganos reorganized his entire restaurant to accommodate to-go orders.
“We have a beautiful setup with umbrellas,” Siganos said. “Even before the governor decided not to open indoor restaurants, I told my employees that we won’t seat people inside. COVID-19 is around us and inside is more dangerous and outside has less of a possibility.”
Businesses are adapting to the changes set forth by the state to combat COVID-19. New Jersey has no set date to allow indoor dining or move to phase III of re-opening.