By Marion Filler
You could almost taste the disappointment Tuesday at Morristown restaurants, as owners reacted to Gov. Phil Murphy’s decision to indefinitely delay the reopening of indoor dining that had been scheduled for Thursday.
“Not much we can do about it at this point, but just keep pushing through,” said Peter Williams, one of the owners of the South Street Creamery.
Restaurants across the state were ordered to close on March 16, 2020. While outdoor service has been allowed since June 15 , further delay of indoor dining “is financially a definite punch to the gut, for sure,” said Leia Gaccione of the south + pine american eatery.
Murphy blamed “knuckleheads” who flouted the rules at Shore bars, as well as rising COVID-19 infections in other states, for Monday’s decision. Earlier in June, police shut down Tashmoo’s beer garden in Morristown for ignoring social distancing protocols.
State Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-25th Dist.) ripped the governor as being out of touch with small businesses and their economic hardships during the coronavirus pandemic.
“How can you tell restaurants that they can open, allow them to hire staff, order food, take reservations, invest in safety protocols, then rip away that permission in the eleventh hour?” Bergen said Tuesday in a statement. “How long can we live under complete autonomous rule by one man?”
Murphy defended the decision at his daily press briefing.
“We can’t be lulled into complacency and think it’s okay to crowd around bars without any regard for those around us,” he said. “That is how we backslide.”
Since March 4, 2020, New Jersey has seen 13,181 confirmed coronavirus deaths, second most in the nation, with another 1,854 fatalities probably caused by the virus.
In Morris County, 652 coronavirus deaths have been confirmed, and another 146 are suspected. Morristown has 586 known cases, the mayor’s office reported.
The pandemic has killed half a million people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
‘IT’S BEEN A GRIND’
Thursday’s aborted reopenings would have limited indoor restaurant seating to 25 percent of capacity, with masks required for staff, and for patrons when they were not eating.
“A little more notice would have been better for most restaurants,” said Williams of the Creamery, who is thankful he is not the governor. “It’s a tough job.”
Williams had not ramped up for Thursday; 25 percent of capacity just isn’t enough, he said.
“We need 50 percent percent or more to bring in the amount of food and amount of staff to make a living,” Williams said. He hopes the Creamery’s current strategy of limited staff and a restricted menu – ice cream, soups, and a few small items – will be enough to see him through.
“I’ve been here every day for about a month and a half, filling in as a staff person. It’s been a grind,” he said.
At south + pine, Gaccione said she understands the need for continued precautions to keep the curve flattened in New Jersey. Still, “everybody has to abide by the rules. There are businesses that are not abiding and other states that are not, either.
“So, I have a little angel and a little devil on each of my shoulders. One side wants us to be safe, the other is bummed out that we can’t open up inside.”
The restaurant has been “okay for now,” Gaccione said, thanks to a considerate landlord and a grocery ordering service within the restaurant, now being discontinued.
Most important for south + pine is the availability of outdoor seating, expanded recently to include the Mayo Performing Arts Center’s outdoor space for use by the restaurant.
“The struggle is to find staff to handle those extra seats,” Gaccione said. “In the meantime, we will focus on that until we are allowed to open indoors.”
‘NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT IT’
“We are obviously not too happy about it,” Desmond Lloyd, of The Grand Café on Washington Street, said of Murphy’s rollback. Yet he was willing to give authorities the benefit of the doubt.
“I guess they know more than we do. I don’t know what the governor knows, but he understands the situation and realizes that it’s causing a lot of problems for the restaurant industry.”
Lloyd echoed sentiments of other restaurateurs, who said guidelines must be observed for the safety of all. He wished the public was as cooperative.
“If everybody followed the rules we’d be okay,” he said.
The use of a pocket park next door has been helpful. “We do outside dining. It’s been difficult, but we’re managing.”
Citing the restaurant’s longevity, Lloyd acknowledged customers loyalty as cause for optimism.
“We’ve been here 40 years and have a very loyal clientele, and since we opened on June 15 (for outdoor dining), and many have come for lunch and dinner,” Lloyd said.
When the restaurant can bring patrons back inside, Lloyd is hopeful that having three floors will be a bonus for social distancing.
Chef Fredy’s Table on Speedwell Avenue got lucky.
Manager Nestor Bedoya continues gearing up for Thursday, taking reservations after just acquiring a private patio just two doors away.
“It belonged to Pazzo Pazzo and has been vacant for the last four years,” said Bedoya. “It’s a big, beautiful, private patio which gives us full capacity.”
Adding that he would “love to have 25 percent of my restaurant occupied inside,” Bedoya said he believes the Governor would not be delaying reopening unless he had good reason.
“I do respect his decision making 100 percent and think he’s done a great job so far keeping Jersey the way we have been. We have been three months with no indoor dining at all, and I think we can hold off for just a little bit more.”
MorristownGreen.com editor Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.
I for one am not disappointed I’m relieved. Most states are not taking the pandemic seriously enough. As someone who works in food service I can tell you that customers are not listening to the rules and people are going to continue to get sick at an alarming rate if we don’t take care of it.