Indoor dining returns to New York City amid spike in COVID-19 cases
Peckish patrons returned to their old haunts Wednesday as indoor dining finally resumed in the Big Apple — six months after the coronavirus all but 86’ed the restaurant industry.
More than a dozen customers were scarfing down breakfast staples such as pancakes or eggs and guzzling coffee around 9 a.m. at Pershing Square, a diner across from Grand Central Terminal, which opened an hour earlier.
“Oh my god! I’m happy to be back!” cheered Jacqueline Chang, who’s been frequenting the joint for 15 years. “They have the best breakfast in New York. I could not wait for it to be open [inside]. It’s not the same eating outside.”
Restaurants across the city are allowed to open for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity and other restrictions, including socially distanced tables. Patrons must get their temperature checked before entering, wear a mask when not seated and at least one member of each party must provide contact information for contact tracing in the event of an outbreak.
Chang, 55, an office manager at Early Bird Capital, Inc., was fine with the precautions if it meant sitting down for a hot meal, which for her was eggs over easy with avocado and home fries.
“I don’t feel nervous at all because they are doing everything they can to keep us safe. They take your temperature, the spacing is fine,” she continued.
“I expect more people to come back because this is an iconic place to have breakfast, especially for people in the financial industry, and people are going back to work. It’s just a matter of time.”
In TriBeCa, the staff at Bubby’s were gearing up for what they expect could be a crush of customers wanting to be inside — which by mid-morning did not yet materialize at the Hudson Street spot.
“I think people, especially during brunch, will sit anywhere. We are going to have a problem with too many people wanting to be inside,” said general manager Tara Lawler, 39. “A lot of the staff has older parents or grandparents. Now with indoor dining opening, they’re a lot more worried about it, whereas out here with the fresh air, it doesn’t seem as much of a risk.
Bubby’s owner Ron Silver said the restaurant plans to limit use of the indoor space.
“We are cautious and we are planning on using the indoors as little as possible at the moment,” Silver said.
Bubby’s safety measures include a QR code for customers to fill out their contact information and temperature checks at the door. The eatery can fit 32 people indoors and 60 outside.
“At some point we have to go back to normal,” said Lawler. “The only way we can survive, I think, is indoor dining, because at some point it’s just going to get too cold.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave indoor dining the green light earlier this month — but now the city’s coronavirus positivity rate is beginning to climb above 3 percent.