Finally, he has a lot on his plate: Chris Cannon will re-open Jockey Hollow restaurant on May 26

Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, at its 2014 grand opening in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com, Sept. 18, 2014.
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For the record, Chris Cannon wants his children–two teens and a ‘tween–to know that he loves them dearly.

But the Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen is his baby, too. And he will be the happiest man in Morristown when he re-opens his four-star restaurant on May 26, 2021, after a six-month pandemic shutdown.

Chris Cannon is all smiles at Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen grand opening in 2014. Photo by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com, Sept. 18, 2014.

“I just want to get back to work, and talking to people and saying hello every night and doing the right things,” the veteran New York restaurateur said on Wednesday.

“I’ve been doing this 42 years, so being at home all this time is like, ‘Oh my God.’ Listen, I love my kids, I adore them. But you know, I enjoy being at work, too.”

Gov. Phil Murphy is lifting capacity restrictions on indoor dining, effective May 19. Social distancing and masking requirements will continue.

Despite his eagerness to reclaim his livelihood, Cannon plans to reopen at a measured pace: Ground-floor oyster bar and patio first; the Vail bar, basement Rathskeller and posh upstairs dining room, a little later.

That’s of necessity.

Cannon anticipates some patrons, especially his older clientele, may remain hesitant about indoor dining — even though he has plenty of space for social distancing in a venue that is truly palatial. In 2014, he revitalized the Vail Mansion, a palazzo on South Street built during World War I by an AT&T scion.

The Vail Mansion in Morristown.

Like the rest of his industry, Cannon also is hard-pressed to find help. Some staff have left in search of more stable post-COVID professions. Others, he said, are “chilling out” on unemployment that pays better than waiting on tables.

In good times, Jockey Hollow employed about 80 people. This month, Cannon expects to have 45, including a new chef. (AJ Capella has left to become chef for a new hotel near Lake Placid.)

Two rounds of federal Paycheck Protection Program money have given Cannon breathing room, until life starts looking more normal. He’s betting on August.

Jockey Hollow will reopen “as we have enough staff, and we can get really high quality service and food to everybody, instead of just trying to open up everything and having a disaster,” Cannon said.

“I’ve got enough money in reserve that I don’t have to open up just for opening’s sake. It’s stupid. You know, we have a reputation and we want to maintain it.”

The restaurant should resume taking reservations later this week, Cannon said.

Jockey Hollow closed in March 2020, reopened for patio dining and wine pickups over the summer, and shut down again in mid-November when the second COVID wave rolled over New Jersey.

Cannon said none of his staff got sick. He caught the coronavirus after closing the restaurant, in December. “It was like a bad cold,” he said.

The Morristown Green Podcast:
Chris Cannon’s Hard Winter at Jockey Hollow

Over the winter he tried to keep busy with private events at Jockey Hollow, wine sales, and Zoom courses, where he shared tips for choosing wines to complement different dishes. Audiences for the Saturday sessions ranged from 20 to 100 viewers, he said.

“For me it was fun because I got to get my face out in front of a bunch of people, and get to know my customers. A lot of people became regulars. Every week they would be on, because they were like, starving for any kind of social interaction,” Cannon said with a laugh.

He hopes the real thing returns to the Vail lawn with summer music and special holiday events. Jockey Hollow launched a downtown Cultural District with nearby churches, the library and the Mayo Performing Arts Center before the pandemic.

One thing Cannon is not worried about is new neighbors.

Vail Mansion condo owners who flank the restaurant have opposed plans for a four-story, 40-apartment luxury complex next door, saying it will mar their vista.  Cannon is sure he will like what he sees.

“That’s just 40 more groups of customers, you know?”

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