Restaurants React to Indoor Dining Delay

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WILDWOOD – County restaurants and cafes eagerly awaited July 2, the day Gov. Phil Murphy initially declared indoor dining could resume, albeit at limited capacity.
Per a June 29 order, indoor dining was postponed indefinitely. Murphy cited a litany of reasons for the last-minute change.
He said, “Unfortunately, the spike in cases in numerous other states, compounded by instances of non-compliance in New Jersey, require us to hit pause on the restart of indoor dining indefinitely.”
Murphy pointed to other states where COVID-19 cases are spiking; states which opened too quickly and too soon. New Jersey was once among the states hit hardest by COVID-19.
Murphy hopes to avoid another spike in cases, similar to those happening in many states across the American south. These spikes are “driven by, in part, the return of indoor dining,” Murphy said.
Hot Spot, located on the Wildwood boardwalk, had big plans for its reopening, which were shattered suddenly, and at a high price. “We had to throw a lot of stuff away. Thousands of dollars of food went bad, and we had to toss it,” said the owner, who wished to be identified only as Marco.
Indoor dining means more customers at once, hence the large amount of food they ordered and had to throw away. Outdoor dining does not compare to the large, often full, indoor seating that Hot Spot offers.
Marco called 2020 a “disaster year” for his business. “We’re just trying to survive,” he said.
He hoped July 2 could be a needed reprieve from a slow season. “This is easily the worst year we have ever had,” he added.
Dan Powell, business manager, Urie’s Waterfront Restaurant, Beach Creek Oyster Bar and Grill, and Boathouse Restaurant, all located in Wildwood, called this summer the “most stressful season ever.” He said that the unexpected order from Murphy “definitely hurt because we have a limited seating capacity with only outdoor dining.”
Powell said they are focused on maximizing efficiency and safety. The overall effect is they have to work harder for less profit, as safely working within state COVID-19 guidelines means increased safety protocols, but ultimately fewer customers.
“We realize our revenues will be much less than years past. We try to maximize what we can offer and hope for the best,” Powell added.
The manager of Bagel Time Cafe, in Wildwood Crest, who wished to be identified only as Effie, also said they had to return and throw away food because of the last-minute order. She said this year has been among the most difficult, and that dealing with so much extra food was a huge hassle.
Many boardwalk restaurants are closing earlier than they usually might during a good summer. During a normal season, many restaurants would stay open well past midnight. A trip to the boardwalk most nights shows a very different story.
Indoor dining will remain closed “indefinitely,” according to Murphy. Restaurants across the county await the day they can, once again, safely welcome customers indoors.