Sorry, having a hard time copying information on this. It seems that some NJ restaurants are planning on opening indoor dining on Sept. 8.
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You probably want this.
Interesting 
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Not to talk politics and Iâm very much indifferent on Murphy and have only eaten out once in NJ since March (a lunch outdoors), but if gyms can open, shouldnât restaurants at 25% capacity?
I donât understand how working out, breathing heavy, and sweating profusely with particles flying everywhere in a contained environment is any more dangerous than eating inside. Granted, this all depends on places actually adhering to crowd control and sanitization, etc, but that does not change the sentiment.
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Not any more.
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This is what gets meâa list of rules that arenât, in my opinion, complete. See below in italics and bold for what I think is missingâŚ
Other restrictions on indoor dining mirror ones detailed when the state originally planned to allow it in early July include:
- Patrons required to wear masks unless they are eating, under the age of 2, or have a health issue. Weâre going to see a spike in people with âhealth issues.â Just wait.
- Staff members required to wear masks at all times.
- Tables spaced at least 6 feet apart.
- Enhanced sanitation.
- Guests placing orders only at a table and staffers bringing food and beverages only to tables.
- Patrons barred from walking around while eating. Was there a lot of that before?
- Limiting seating to a maximum of 8 customers per table â unless from an immediate family or the same household SoâŚno limit
- Encouraging reservations for greater control of customer traffic. If this isnât mandatory, why bother with supposed tracing?
- Requiring customers to provide a phone number if making a reservation to facilitate contact tracing. Again, so no reservation, no ability to trace.
I feel TERRIBLE for restaurant owners and staff who havenât been able to fully function for the last 6 months and I DO understand the economic and emotional impact. I also believe weâre about to get a spike in cases, and Iâm more concerned about that right now. TBD, I suppose.
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I think the ârulesâ are deliberately obtuse to provide plausible deniability.
Regarding you last 2 points related to reservations. I donât think requiring reservations and a phone number or not has to impact contact tracing. My neighbor just got back from Vermont. She had to provide her name and phone number very time she ate indoors. I assume NJ restaurant have a piece of paper and pen.
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Oh its going to be an absolute shit show. Iâm in no rush to go back, and my earlier post was not me supporting opening indoor dining, just trying to equate the dangers with opening gyms. Why one and not the other.
There WILL be a spike and with flu season lurking, Iâd be surprised if indoor dining isnât halted again by November.
I feel for the owners 100%, but for every one of them that is going to strictly adhere to the laws, there are going to be two or three that ruin it for everyone (again).
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âRestaurants with no windowsâ would be just about any restaurant in a strip mall. I suppose they could argue that every window they have is open, but clearly the intent is to get the air circulating, so I hope these restaurants will hold off.
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Donât forget that no matter how well-designed safety guidelines are, everything falls down when restaurant patrons do not comply.
If our experience here in Massachusetts is any guide, much of the first wave of folks dining out in restaurants will demonstrate lower compliance with masking and distancing. We guess this could be a self-selecting group who wish that âreopeningâ means that things are back to normal? We feel for the servers and front-of-house staff who are tasked with reminding patrons to stick to the safety protocols.
Our observations have been during runs for takeout, because we just donât feel comfortable in indoor spaces where the activity of eating necessarily means that people are unmasked for an extended time.
Weâll celebrate the day when dining out can again be relaxed and joyful, thatâs for sure.
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PERFECTLY stated, imo! And I agree that the first ones out to eat are more likely to be those who are less compliant.
This past weekend, my niece and her friend were here at the Jersey Shore. They wanted to go âdowntownâ in AP for dinner, and I said that was fine, but that Iâm not dining out there, and most esp on the weekends, as itâs too busy. They went (masked) and ate at and LOVED Mogo, but said âit was uncomfortable being around so many people.â These are 19 year-olds.
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Such smart young women in your life!
Particularly in areas where people day trip or vacation, we are on the lookout for what we call vacation brain behavior. Our few visits to the beach here in MA have been only to a large beach that limits capacity and does admission by advanced ticket purchase only. We went once on a weekend and saw too much vacation brain in action. After that, we decided on weekdays only until the weather cools.
Over the summer, we have eaten a midafternoon lunch 3 times on an outdoor deck at a restaurant that takes reservations. Off-peak feels right. Only diners having a meal there and staff can get onto the deck, which is on the waterâventilation is ideal. Doing this, weâve had a taste of dining out(side) and contenting ourselves with that.
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This is EXACTLY what weâve been dealing with all summer (okay, EVERY summer). I was just telling another friend this story yesterday, and I said that the problem is that people come here on vacation and think/act like itâs a different universe. NOT good for those of us who are full-time residents!
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Itâs the âwhat happens in Vegas stays in Vegasâ mentality, and also why many tourists in countries other than their own think that all the constraints are off (e.g., sex tourism).
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âAir conditioner units must be turnedâ what?
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