Oyster Bay eateries face challenging winter season

Ten months ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued the stay-at-home order that would leave the dining rooms of restaurants empty and familiarize residents with food served in to-go boxes rather than on their favorite  eateries’ plates. Some restaurants were forced to close, including the popular Canterbury’s Oyster Bar & Grill in Oyster Bay.   

In early June, outdoor dining was permitted, with a ruling later in the month allowing indoor dining at 50 percent capacity. Operating at half capacity in the post-holiday season, which is traditionally slow, was a constant challenge.  As  the number of Covid-19 cases increased, so did those challenges, but restaurant operators across the North Shore say they remain optimistic, especially because their local communities are behind them.

“At this point, we’re just doing our best to fit into the rules and regulations that exist,” said Matt Silver, general manager of the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville. “And we’re very hopeful that the spring will bring opportunities for event sizes to grow,”

Crescent Beach can host 50 people. Dancing is limited, Silver said, to parent dances or first dances at weddings, and catered events are more like dinner parties, with guests remaining at their tables. But clients are booking events for this summer, as well as 2022 and 2023.

The pandemic has proved to be a major test for the hospitality industry, Silver said, but all business owners can do is keep their establishments safe and follow protocols. “Once this does clear up, which it will,” he said, “you’ll be ready to rock and roll again.”

In East Norwich, Joseph Morello, the owner of the restaurant Angelina’s, said he was already seeing people who have been vaccinated coming back to dine inside.

Susan Daniell, a six-year employee at the Brass Rail in Locust Valley, said that seeing customers, many of whom been regulars for years, afraid, is “devastating.”

“Serving has been one of the greatest joys of my life,” Daniell said. “People don’t even know how to just walk in anymore. It’s just really hard. People literally stopped coming to the restaurant because they’re afraid they’re going to get sick. It’s just crazy times.”

But in spite of it all, she said, Brass Rail remains a successful business. “We have such a wonderful business here, and we have a wonderful owner and we have great food,” Daniell said. “We’re making the best of it, I guess, like everyone else.”

Increasing take-out and offering family dinner deals are just two of the ways eateries have been moving forward during a time that has been particularly devastating for local businesses.

Laura Escobar, a member of the Oyster Bay–East Norwich Chamber of Commerce board of directors, said she, too, has noticed local restaurants finding new ways to serve customers during an era of social distancing. 

“We ate at 2 Spring the other day, and I was pretty amazed at how cozy it was, and the heaters worked amazing,” Escobar said. “It was so cold out, but when my girlfriend and I walked away from the area where we were sitting, I couldn’t believe we’d sat outside for as long as we did, because we weren’t cold at all.”

Lindsay Schenker, a co-owner of 2 Spring, in Oyster Bay, said the restaurant’s approach to outdoor dining differs from some others. “We don’t believe that the tent is a reliable solution for outdoor dining, because it’s enclosed on all four sides,” she said.  “It’s like eating indoors.” 

Instead, 2 Spring’s outdoor dining space has a wall on one side and a ceiling with infrared overhead heaters. Two other sides of the area are open to the fresh air. The restaurant also has standing heaters, propane heaters and heated blankets, among other cozy options. “We’re trying to get creative to keep everyone comfortable outside,” Schenker said.

While the outdoor dining space has been a success, she said, the state’s mandated limitations on restaurants, which include closing at 10 p.m. and not allowing customers to order drinks without food, have impacted the bar business. The staff at 2 Spring hasn’t been able to serve as many customers as it would like.

Ryan Schlotter, president of the Oyster Bay–East Norwich Chamber of Commerce and a co-owner of Oyster Bay Brewing Co., said that he, too, is facing challenges. At times, he said, his combined responsibilities can be overwhelming.

“The chamber is typically a positive thing,” Schlotter said. “It’s a positive phone call you’re making, a welcoming of an incoming business or an award for a business that’s performing really well or doing something great for the town.”

Sharing information about the Paycheck Protection Program, for example, is a way for the chamber to support local businesses. The Small Business Administration, working with the U.S. Treasury Department, reopened the PPP first draw of loans for the week of Jan. 11 and then on Jan. 13.

For more information on the PPP, which offers loans that help cover payroll, go to www.sba.gov.