We are going outside to eat at this stage of the coronavirus crisis. Gov. Gina M. Raimondo started allowing limited outdoor dining for restaurants on May 18. Local restaurateurs have been tentative so far.
While there is some optimism, it is tempered with caution and a bit of confusion. From both sides of the table, we are anxiously awaiting what’s next. Two Newport restaurateurs are approaching the outdoor phase of dining out in Rhode Island from different directions.
Richard Sardella is the proprietor of Sardella’s Italian Ristorante and Imbriglio’s Pizzeria Napoletana in Newport. He just reopened for takeout around Mother’s Day after shutting his doors on March 16 with the hope of reopening two weeks later. “I’m thankful that [Raimondo] has given us some leeway,” said Sardella. “We have had some great cooperation from the city. [City Manager] Joe Nicholson has been terrific.”
Most city and town leaders across the state have been extremely cooperative in facilitating the relaunch of local eateries, according to reports from restaurateurs. The transition to takeout and curbside service wasn’t easy, and restaurant owners say the transition to outdoor dining hasn’t been easy, either. In fact, it has been more like a complete transformation to a new business model. At Sardella’s, the outdoor dining area is a converted parking lot. Guests make a reservation for a table as prescribed – a party of no more than five. Contact information is also collected from guests as mandated by the state, in case contact tracing needs to be done later. Orders are served at the table in takeout containers, including disposable utensils.
“We [have] eliminated that extra step of the server touching [the guest’s plate] and bringing it to the table,” Sardella said, explaining that there would have to be extra staff brought in to sanitize dishware and flatware, creating more risk. “Our No. 1 priority is and always has been the health and safety of our staff and our customers.”
But more guidance is needed. Sardella’s waterfront eatery, the Marina Café & Pub, opened its doors the week before Memorial Day with a question – is a bar located outside on which people can eat considered an outdoor table? (The city of Newport said it is not and could not be utilized.)
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ALL PREPPED: Ted Karousos, the owner of the Blue Plate Diner in Middletown, says outdoor dining isn’t an option for his restaurant, but the diner has been outfitted with safety precautions for when indoor dining is allowed. Plexiglass shields at the bar are among the measures he’s installed. / COURTESY BLUE PLATE DINER[/caption]
The same caution is apparent at the Blue Plate Diner, which reopened in mid-May for takeout only. Proprietor Ted Karousos said, “I wish we had a little more guidance as to the different phases so we could prepare appropriately.”
He said his booths are bolted to the floor so outdoor dining is not feasible, but he had entertained the idea of “car hop” service. That may be possible someday. Karousos is hopeful that in June he will be able to open his doors and seat guests with appropriate social distancing. Plexiglass has been installed to keep proper spacing and to ensure that servers can keep their distance. Masks will be worn by staff at all times.
Karousos has a common-sense outlook on that: “Tough times call for different protocols. It is not that different from post-9/11 [Transportation Security Administration] prescreens and checks. I’m all for [the need to] take precautions for the safety of the people working here, the safety of our guests, and if there were to be an outbreak, traceability.”
He is being extra cautious, performing a complete electrostatic cleaning of his entire premises on an ongoing basis. He empathizes with his fellow owner-operators, saying the industry “needs a reset.”
The success of this phase of restaurant reentry will be measured not only in revenue and good will for the restaurateurs but by the continued good health of the guests.
As always, there will be some eateries that won’t survive. The popular Eleven Forty-Nine Restaurant in Warwick announced on May 18 that it was closing permanently.
Still, we love our restaurants, their hardworking front-line staff, chefs and owners. They are, in many ways, like members of our own family and we will do whatever we can to keep them going. To not recognize that dynamic sells short the people who are the lifeblood of this industry.
Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, on radio throughout New England, through various mobile applications and his podcast. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.
