Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave New York the go-ahead to officially reopen this week, issuing relaxed guidelines around masks, social distancing and indoor dining at restaurants. The New York Forward guidance basically follows the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.
Although restaurant operators have access to the new rules, there’s still some confusion among employees about what and how much should change. And most New Yorkers seem to be going about business as usual. Masks are still in evidence and outdoor dining areas are packed while indoor seats remain empty.
Restaurants along a busy Manhattan avenue are dealing with the new guidance in different ways.
Before opening on Wednesday, Oriana Rivera, manager of Mission Ceviche, asked herself “Should we open at 100% capacity indoors? Cuomo said ‘yes’ [for vaccinated customers], but our neighbors on Second Avenue aren’t opening at 100%,” she said.
Rivera decided to leave the former guidelines in place for the time being. Besides, she said, “most people want to sit outside anyway because the weather is beautiful.”
As soon as Spring turned warmer, New Yorkers have been crowding the makeshift outdoor seating areas that restaurants erected during the pandemic. The scene didn’t look any different on Wednesday, with plexiglass partitions still in place between most outside tables that can’t be placed six feet apart.
Down the street at The Stumble Inn, a neighborhood bar, Manager Ryan Jordan had posted a new sign to the entrance just that day. It stated that customers must be vaccinated to eat inside.
Photo courtesy of Pat Cobe
“We rely on the honor system,” said Jordan, as he asked two customers whether they had gotten the COVID vaccine. Each answered, “double dose.”
But most Stumble Inn patrons are opting to eat outside, Jordan said, because the weather has been so nice. “It’ll be interesting to see how the weekend goes,” he added.
The NYS Department of Health strongly recommends masks in indoor settings where the vaccination status of individuals is unknown—a requirement that Steven Na, manager of The Meatball Shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is enforcing. He’s also asking customers for proof of vaccination status or a negative COVID test.
Na has divided the restaurant into two indoor areas—one for vaccinated customers in the front and a private dining room in the back for nonvaccinated individuals. Tables are still six feet apart in both.
“Our employees have to inform guests of the guidelines—that’s their job,” said Na. “I hold pre-shift meetings to explain the regulations to staff members.”
The Meatball Shop’s outdoor seating is also socially distanced, as it’s been all along. “We’re following the guidelines as they come in,” said Na.
While the CDC and New York State guidance spells everything out, each business is free to enforce stricter protocols.
A few hours north of New York City, in the heart of what locals know as Upstate, the change was not nearly as dramatic.
The lone server at The Roost in Stone Ridge wasn’t even aware that Wednesday was the day limitations were lifted. The restaurant opted to continue its requirement that guests as well as staff wear face masks, a point the server underscored by pointing glumly to her mask.
The elimination of a capacity cap made no difference to the small all-day restaurant because New York has kept the six-foot distancing requirement in place, and the establishment had already configured its seating to meet that standard.
But a Buffalo Wild Wings some 10 miles away, in the small city of Kingston, had all its tables available. But most sat vacant; the bar was the only place customers were sitting, and they remained separated by movable plexiglass dividers.
A check of restaurants elsewhere found no crowds opting for a night out now that they no longer have to wear masks if vaccinated. Indeed, most of the patrons heading from their cars to the front door were still wearing masks.
Meanwhile, back in New York City, Jeffrey Bank, CEO of Alicart Restaurant Group, was all about immediately adopting Cuomo’s reopening rules. “Customers at Carmine’s were ecstatic to be mask-free as over 90% of our lunch crowd today were vaccinated," he said Wednesday. “The warm weather helped bring diners out and made it feel like an especially joyous celebration.”