We were at a retirement dinner at a long-standing local Italian restaurant this evening. About 35 people in a separate party room (15 last minute cancellations). The entire time we were there, 5:30-9:30PM, there wasn’t a single customer in the main portion of the restaurant. Briefly spoke with the manager who said they were hanging in but is very worried going forward. I feel for the owners and their staff.
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I’m starting to see a lot of posts from AP restaurants saying that they’ll deliver or from some restaurants that don’t do much takeout pushing that option… I hope we can all continue to support them!i
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I sadly have a feeling this thread will be one of the more active in the coming weeks. We also ate out last night at El Meson in Freehold and was very pleased to find them near to capacity just before 8 pm.
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We are not giving up on our local restaurants yet! 7:00 reservations at Via45 tonight. Looking forward to one of my favorite meals. I’ll report back about how crowded it is.
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The Black Crowes et al played The Beacon to an empty concert hall while ticket holders watched a live stream. The brothers reunited, kicked off their tour and headliners showed up to join them on stage…let’s hope live, public enjoyment returns soon.
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We usually eat lunch out, and that at 1:30 or so, so the restaurants were often empty even before this. We’re going to be eating out less, but will probably do more take-out to make up for some of that.
On Monday the 9th we were celebrating an occasion and went to our favorite Monmouth County restaurant. Mind you it is expensive and it was a Monday night but we were the only customers of the night. Not one other table, not one other customer at the bar. Kind of spooky. (thankfully the food and service was excellent!!)
Last week I ordered take out from Little Szechuan and there were tables in the place and phone ringing so I said: “glad to see you guys are fairing will with business” and the guy shook his head “yes” as he counted my change. As he passed my change he looked me in the eye and whispered: “It’s not as good as it seems”…take that for what it’s worth.
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That was the Gods Live We Deliver benefit…I was watching, And honestly, if they hadn’t switched to the live stream format, I probably wouldn’t have donated. Hopefully it ended up raising more than they expected.
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We still plan on dining out over the weekend until they close the restaurants. We have reservations at Bloom & Bistro D’Azur this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised last Sunday that Ammata Thai had a nice crowd (especially for a Sunday). There were a few large groups of 6 and 5. I expected them to be empty with a lot of takeout orders. The same with Cafe Panache last Saturday. They were jam packed when we left just before 7, and pretty full early on. I have gotten several emails from restaurants about all of the precautions they are taking. They are being extra vigilant about cleaning.
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Conversely to my post above a colleague was telling me he ate at Sciorintino’s in South Amboy last night and the place was full all night! Also I did pick up/take out from The Pour House last night and the wife who went in said they were packed too. Fingers crossed!
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Hit Red Rock last night for Justin’s birthday eve and it was pretty crowded. Not overwhelmingly so, but the bar had a good crowd. Globe across the street was normal for a Thursday.
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These days, even when the millenials are at a live concert, they are not present in the moment. They are all watching the concert through their phones, and posting it on Instagram or Youtube 
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^^ I have seen this among older audiences as well. I mean, why spend the cash on concert tix if you’re not truly in the room? 
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I really loved this post yesterday from Cardinal Provisions, because it’s so brutally honest AND community-minded:
To our valued community:
We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic needs addressing. We are keeping up with news and protocols and are upping our already diligent level of cleanliness, sanitation and food safety.
The threat of financial hardship is imminent. We are committed to keeping our staff home if they’re sick (and paying them a livable wage if they decide to do so). We are committed to continuing to serve our community. Unless we aren’t allowed or able to work we will work. We are proud to employ mothers who may not be able to come in if their children’s schools don’t open. We need these people to stay employed and we need to be there for them. This is new territory for us that may not be backed by government support. We are going to need you more than ever, and we hope you continue to need us.
We’ve got some ideas, like maintaining and emphasizing delicious take out and opening ourselves up to delivery services, pick up dinners, and small scale catering orders during this state of emergency. If you can’t or won’t leave your home, we are more than willing to take the stress of making a meal out of the picture for you. If you’re elderly and/or immune compromised, and need or want a meal, we would be happy to offer sliding scale payment alongside delivery. We’re not blind to having youth on our side and would be happy to use that privilege.
A crisis like this one is unsettling with its broad reach, but we will be doing our part by spending our money in local small business as much as possible, staying up to speed, and keeping squeaky clean.
Love and strength,
The Cardinal team
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Too soon to know but the talent was bummed beyond words.
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Wow, that’s impressive! Especially the delivery, and sliding scale information. Kudos to them!
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You’re killing me with that brushoff statement my man @paryzer. Nothing beats live and youngins aren’t the only ones living on cellphones.
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This is true of any live venue now. And dammit, show up on time!
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You are ALL right with regards to live performances! IMO and experience, nothing beats live music, being at a musical, with a live orchestra, or even a play, without music. And yes, the talent thrives on the support, excitement and Adrenalin of live audiences, whether musicians, actors, or sports players. Public speakers as well. Yes, lots of people on their devices, but not me. I’m too busy watching the musicians on the huge screen and then shifting my eyes to the stage. Hoping to sear as much as possible into my brain.
As an aside, I lost my battle for live music at my daughter’s wedding. I wanted it at least for the ceremony. She went with a very good DJ, as most young people do, which worked out, and all had a great time.
In my mind, it still can’t compare to live, but seems to work better inside than outdoors. YMMV
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