MORRISTOWN — Call it a soft opening for the return of outdoor dining Monday in Morris County.
Even with county freeholders opening a pocket park as an outdoor dining area for restaurants adjacent to the county courthouse complex in Morristown, less than 25% of the outdoor tables along South Street and the Green were occupied at lunch hour.
But many of those who grabbed a table and some grub were treating the event as if it were a holiday, including Julie Beck and her husband, Robert.
"This is actually a date, because we are so excited to be out, out together on this beautiful day," Julie Beck said as she dug into a healthy green salad at the Committed Pig. "I got dressed up for the occasion, I was so excited."
A block away, tables and umbrellas were being added to a pocket park near the Morris County court complex. The novel dining area was cleared by county officials for three adjacent restaurants to use for outdoor dining for up to 90 days, or until indoor dining resumes in New Jersey as restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic are relaxed.
"It's slow for lunch right now, because so much is still closed, but it will get busy later for dinner," said Andrew Gering, operator of the Sushi Lounge on Schuyler Place.
Sushi Lounge has survived during the pandemic on steady takeout businessbut is eager to return to something resembling normal operations.
"The town was opening their outdoor seating and have been very generous, really trying to help get the restaurants as much seating as possible, to help them keep going," Gering said. "Then the county came to us and asked if we were interested in taking a portion of the park across the street. We'll be serving our great sushi and signature co*cktails there."
Tables must be reserved, and there will be a two-hour limit imposed per table.
On the other side of the park, Desmond and Anne Lloyd, owner-operators of The Grand Café, were adding a row of tables in the park next to their existing patio seating.
"The last three months, we've been closed, but we did a lot of renovations inside, so everything seems to have worked out well for us," Desmond Lloyd said. "We've always had our outside dining here, and we're very excited. We're ready to go, following all the guidelines, masks, gloves, etc., cleaning tables and sanitizing."
But at lunch hour, only a handful of customers were patronizing the Sushi Lounge, Grand Café and Tito's Burritos, the third eatery cleared for park use.
According to the terms of the agreement between the county and the restaurants, tables and chairs may be placed at the site beginning each day at 11 a.m. The businesses also are responsible for thorough cleaning of the park after hours each day.
The restaurants are not allowed to use or block sidewalks adjacent to the county park, and signs willbe installed to indicate that seating "is for patrons only."The restaurants also must provide insurance for use of the site.
"We all have to do our part to help the county's business owners find a way to recover from the effects of this pandemic,'' said Freeholder Director Deborah Smith. "We encourage county residents to come out and support these three restaurants, and to also find a table at an outdoor dining area near where you live and work.''
Along South Street in Morristown, many other eateries were offering sidewalk dining, but most seats were nearly empty.
Similar sparse crowds were seen in outdoor dining areas at lunch hour Monday on Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains, Main Street in Boonton and downtown Lake Hiawatha in Parsippany.
Restaurant owners, however, welcomed the chance to kick-start their businesses, including Jim Paxos of the Plaza Restaurant at Del's Village in Boonton.
"We just took some tables and chairs out front," Paxos said. "If they can't sit inside, at least maybe they can sit outside. Some regulars have been here already. And it's perfect weather, nice and cool for at least a few days. Anything to drum up business."
Another popular Parsippany restaurant, the Reservoir Tavern, has added tented outdoor seating in its parking lot, but it was closed as usual on Monday.
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William Westhovenis a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email:wwesthoven@dailyrecord.comTwitter:@wwesthoven
