Thursday, September 10, 2020

ICYMI: Cuomo says indoor dining can resume in NYC on Sept. 30 — at 25-percent capacity


[B&H Dairy as seen in 2018]

In case you didn't catch this news yesterday afternoon... Gov. Cuomo announced that indoor dining in New York City can resume on Sept. 30 with a 25-percent occupancy limit.

And the bullet points on guidance for indoor dining in NYC:

  • 25 percent occupancy limit
  • Temperature checks will be required at the door for all customers
  • One member of each party will be required to provide contact information for tracing if needed
  • No bar service — bars will only be used as service bars, a source of making drinks and serving them tableside
  • Masks must be worn at all times when not seated at a table
  • Tables must be six feet apart
  • Restaurants close at midnight
  • Strict adherence to all State-issued guidance
  • Restaurants should operate with enhanced air filtration, ventilation and purification standards
  • Limit air recirculation and allow for outside air ventilation
  • Outdoor dining will continue in the interim

Indoor dining has been banned since the COVID-19 PAUSE went into effect on March 22. More than NYC 1,000 bars and restaurants have shuttered since then, per Eater.

East Village closures include Jewel Bako, Porsena, Oda House and Mermaid Inn... and maybe Odessa.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why aren't bars given any ability to participate in this? Why is it only 25% when it's 50% elsewhere in the state? Will restaurants be allowed to use barriers and put tables closer than 6 feet? Why is the Blink on Avenue A allowed to have 73 people (!!!) inside at a time and restaurants are held to these standards? What capital investment will be required to comply? Why 9/30!?!?!!?!?

Obviously, it's good that some form of indoor dining is allowed but these ridiculous standards and potential additional required investments are not enough to save our food & beverage industry.

noble neolani said...

First things first, safety and public health. This pandemic is a human disaster and yes it is unfortunate that some industries are hurt much harder than most but we will be back to a complete PAUSE if restaurants and other service businesses do not follow guidelines. The ventilation regulations will bring another expense to some of our restaurants I can only assume but I believe there is a pent up desire to dine in a restaurant so I imagine most place which can follow the new rules will do decent business.

Anonymous said...

This will be helpful on rainy days when the outdoor seating is inoperable. But so many restaurants are so small as it is, operating at 25% capacity may not help much. It's all a big experiment and we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I'm hoping things can get back on track before winter, but it would be terrible if we had a second wave of virus because everything opened up too fast.

Anonymous said...

This won't improve things that much, sadly. I am a veteran of this industry and have friends still in it. They are months behind in rent in addition to a deluge of other expenses which haven't been paid. The owners who do have adequate savings or capital will probably make it through next year until a vaccine distributed, which let's face it, probably won't be given to the rest of us till the middle of 2021. Unless the remainder of merchants are given more stimulus or loans, I don't foresee how they can sustain themselves. 25% is better than nothing I guess. I am happy there is some movement, but it won't scratch the surface when your monthly rent is 15k a month.

ed anger said...

Cuomo also said if cases don’t rise during the reopening that 25% will go up to 50% for November.

Anonymous said...

I believe the Governor said in this press conference that NYS would assess whether there is compliance and local enforcement and allow 50% indoor capacity if all is good around Nov 1.

Anonymous said...

Really, we need to explain to you the obvious answers to those questions?

Eden Bee said...

If there is a 2% rise in Covid rates they will reassess indoor dining. I am really afraid everything will just never make it through this. Two teachers already tested positive so remote learning will probably take over all in person classes pretty soon. I am thinking that Mcdonalds on 1st ave and Ray's will be the last men standing by January.

Anonymous said...

No bar service?? That is the one thing I have been waiting for is to go my favorite EV bar The Grafton and have a nice cold Grafton lager. Why would they allow table service inside the bar/restaurant but not allow people to sit at the bar?? They can easily separate the bar stools so that way people will not be sitting next to each other. So many good places have gone permanently out of business because of this. It is a real shame.

Anonymous said...

You can still go to the Grafton and have a lager, just sit outside with the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

The dollar pizza places will ride it out as well. Chain restaurants as well. Maybe some small places that don't do dine in at all. But most bars and restaurants in NYC are done. Other parts of the state have had 50 percent inside and outdoor dining for months with no spike.

Jill W said...

To add to 7:37AM's questions, why midnight closure for indoor? Closing outdoor establishments earlier makes sense to me because that's a new level of noise not normally experienced in this area. But if indoor restaurants were allowed to stay open later in the before-times, why not now? People who work late might want to eat late, provided there are any restaurants wanting to offer that. This smells like another prohibition style rule without any scientific logic behind it.

Anonymous said...

Good call on the midnight closure, Jill (7:37am back here!). It's amazing to me the lack of empathy that exists on this comment page. It's like so many of these people thing it's out of line to ask reasonable questions about governmental policy that seems haphazard at best and is harmful to thousands of people's livelihoods and jobs at worst. NYC has some of the best infection rates in the globe. We need to be helping our small businesses open, both so they can survive and so our city can maintain its tax base. If those things do not happen a vicious cycle can happen quickly.

Anonymous said...

So what changed this month that Cuomo now allows indoor dining? Absolutely nothing.

Anonymous said...

Because the subway isn't running 24/7. That's why. If the subway doesn't come back 24/7 bars and restaurants will close at midnight. So much for the city that never sleeps.

Gojira said...

Also, re a midnight closing time, there are almost no restaurants that serve food much past midnight, once past a certain time the kitchen closes and the bar takes over as the principal moneymaker. Most people don't go out at 1 AM to get dinner...

Jill W said...

@3:49 and Gojira, I get why patrons might not be interested or restaurants might not want to exercise the option. But why should the prohibition at midnight exist? If there happens to be a demand, no one is legally allowed to meet it or they risk losing their operating license. I could totally see a niche audience for this, and it's not like there would be many people inside anyway, per the other rules. Late night diners have been and could be a thing.

Sarah said...

I suspect the issue is still street noise, as you want any restaurant doing indoor dining that can open its doors and windows to do so.

I hope this goes smoothly, diners and restaurants act right, and we can move relatively quickly to 50% before it gets too cold to eat outside. I myself won't be partaking for a while yet, but the timing (after school reopens) seems right.

Anonymous said...

Class action lawsuit filed by restaurants and bars with legitimate points made. Im sure the city and state are well aware most EV places will barely be able to have more than 3 tables and 10 people inside at 25%. This is just a way to avoid the giant lawsuit but also still make it close to nonexistent. Restaurants won't be able to turn that 25% capacity more than twice a night.
And for those upset about bars.... bars serving mandatory food make them restaurants now. So you just don't sit at a bar... the issue and we all know it east village bars are a giant party zone and no ones gonna calmly sit there ass down an socially distance. At least acting as resturaunts it limits the dumbassery... which unfortunately is how these are and their staff make money. Tough call but fauci himself said bars open were the worst possible idea

Anonymous said...

My main issue with this is the enforcement of social distancing and the capacity of 25% being maintained. Yes, bars raise concerns more than anything. I am hoping businesses will find a happy medium which can accommodate everyone. To be honest, I am enjoying the respite of not seeing as many drunken bros out terrorizing our neighborhood. Faucci just said we will all need to hunker down during the impending fall and winter season. Meaning that a vaccine won't probably arrive until spring or summer. Enjoy your time outside while its still nice out.

XTC said...

The main takeaway of what Fauci said on Thursday is that CV19 is much more aerosolized than had previously been thought. So if that's the case then indoor dining is going to be a big concern. Which is to say indoors one will be receiving a larger dose of the virus for a longer duration than elsewhere if there is not adequate ventilation. So for a start 25% seems reasonable.......beyond that, it's wait and see. Indoors, it's basically a roll of the dice until there is a vaccine.

As for late night dining I can remember way back when when jazz and rock bands played two sets each night- an early show and a late show. It wasn't uncommon to go out to eat afterwards at 1 or 2am and then hit the afterhours joints which didn't open until 2am!..........those were different times......

Emily said...

My guess is no bar seating is to protect the patron and bartender from each other. It's not like a server who drops off food and leaves the vicinity.

Anonymous said...

How do the employees get home? They don't live here.

Anonymous said...

People will complain about anything, seriously. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.

XTC said...

@Emily- No bar seating is so that people don't bum rush the bar asking for drinks while others are seated. In NJ there are plexi-glass panels place every six ft that separate the the bar person from the person seated on a stool. Thing is it's a bar. People get inebriated, move around, take of their mask, talk loudly, and act stupid. It's a bar. Can't police everyone. It only takes one douche.

Anonymous said...

I am very anxious. As someone who works as a waiter in this industry, business owners honestly don't give a fuck about the safety and health of their employees. They only care about money and getting more guests through the door. It's all about the customers, their safety and well being. I will probably leave my restaurant at the end of the month because I won't feel safe once indoor seating is permitted. Others will follow.