By Marion Filler
Get out your woolies. Maybe a toque, too. Outdoor seating at Morristown restaurants has been extended to Dec. 31, 2020.
It had been set to expire on Nov. 1. Restaurateurs breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday after learning of the reprieve from town Administrator Jillian Barrick.
“We are all very excited about it,” said Nestor Bedoya of Chef Fredy’s Table on Speedwell Avenue, “and we are getting ready.”
“In acknowledgement of the continuing limited indoor dining capacity and increasing COVID cases statewide that may delay further increased indoor capacity from the State Department of Health, the Town has extended expanded outdoor dining through Dec. 31, 2020. Further guidance regarding heaters and inclement weather procedures to follow,” Barrick wrote in a brief email to restaurant owners.
“Those of you who have large tents, special care will need to be taken to ensure safety compliance with any heating plan. Please contact the Town’s Fire Marshall with any questions,” the administrator said.
Curbside dining along South Street and Speedwell Avenue–both state roadways–was going to end on Oct. 15, but Mayor Tim Dougherty and state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25th Dist.) prodded the state Department of Transportation to extend it to Nov. 1.
Bucco said Tuesday there also is a push for Gov. Murphy to dedicate more Cares Act funds to small businesses.
“The science looks good at 25 percent,” said Bucco, referring to the governor’s present capacity limit for indoor dining at restaurants. If outdoor dining were not extended, that capacity should be upped to 50 percent, the senator said.
Bedoya anticipates keeping half of his 22 outdoor tables in play in coming weeks.
“We’re getting big heaters for the outside space and are in the process of getting either igloos or covered tents to utilize the space,” he said.
Page Zelitsky of the Committed Pig on South Street is undaunted at the prospect of having to remove outdoor equipment in bad weather.
“We do it now anyway,” she said. She too is in the process of buying panels and heaters for four tables in front of the restaurant. “We will go day by day, and be closed in as much as we’re allowed.”
Thirty-five percent of restaurants in New Jersey have shut down permanently during the pandemic, according to Leia Gaccione, owner of the south + pine american eatery, who on Tuesday urged the town council to support state legislation allowing restaurants to serve beer and wine without costly liquor licenses.
As part of its Recovery Agenda, New York City has adopted an “Open Restaurants” program that allows restaurants to serve on the sidewalk year-round.
“I want us to go for the gold here,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told WNYC host Brian Lehrer. “I really want us to take this model and make it a part of the life of New York City for years and generations to come…I really think it’s going to help restaurants survive.”
