Harford restaurants prepare for reopening outdoor dining at governor’s say-so

Deb Bielski, owner of Bel Air’s Bagel Works, was ready for Wednesday’s announcement that restaurants could open with outdoor seating two weeks ago.

It seems her patrons were too.

A picture of the restaurant’s canopy meant for outdoor dining posted to its Facebook page garnered 25,000 hits and hundreds of likes, she said. She put it up anticipating a relaxation of Gov. Larry Hogan’s dining restrictions and to give her patrons somewhere to sit when the restaurant opens.

“I am trying to stay one step ahead of Hogan,” she said. “I did not know what his plan was going to be.”

Bielski is not alone in her eagerness to reopen; other restaurants from Bel Air to Havre de Grace are hastening to prepare outdoor dining space in compliance with the governor’s most recent pronouncement.

Bagel Works is a Bel Air staple with loyal clients, Bielski said, serving up hot food for 15 years. The tent was originally set up for carry-out customers to have somewhere to sit, but Bielski shut it down after she was told it was not compliant with the governor’s order. Now, she said, it is up in earnest and preparing to receive customers. But that is a worry of hers: the crowds.

Judging by the amount of traffic her posts received on social media, she was concerned the restaurant would be inundated with people looking to sit down and eat.

Bielski said the tables are positioned at a social distance, and a sanitizing station is available, but the decision to dine in or carry out comes down to the customers’ preference. The restaurant can only take so many protective steps, though Bagel Works was ahead of the curve as the outbreak worsened, installing sneeze-guards, wiping down pens and menus and wearing masks and gloves.

“If people are not comfortable with the situation out on the deck, take the carryout,” she said. “It is a person’s prerogative to not sit down.”

Owner of the Vagabond Sandwich Company Ben Meyer said he will position some tables on the shop’s deck. He is taking measurements of the space to see how many he can fit. His estimate is four or five.

“I read the applicable things last night,” he said. “I got a handy-dandy forehead thermometer, and I will start temp-checking the staff.”

Vagabond, he said, was in a good spot to weather the pandemic. About 30 percent of its business was carryout before the coronavirus ripped through Maryland, and by partnering with apps and leveraging digital tools, Meyer said the sales have stabilized and are “back on par with where [they] should be.”

He said the enforcement of social distancing will happen naturally; there are a limited number of tables available for customers on the patio. Though he imagines it would be on him and his staff to break up any congregations they see.

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman signed an executive order Thursday that allows restaurants to use some of their parking lots for outdoor dining. The order, Glassman said, was drafted before the governor’s most recent announcement, and closely parallels a previous executive order he signed that relaxed some restrictions on parking lots so retail businesses could use them during the first stage of Hogan’s reopening plan. The order goes into effect when restaurants can open Friday at 5 p.m.

“I kind of was hoping [Hogan] would do it 10 days ago. I had an executive order ready to go,” Glassman said.

Glassman anticipated a slow ramp-up of restaurant business as they grapple with the governor’s newest guidelines for outdoor dining, which requires temperature checks for staff, socially-distant dining and increased sanitation practices.

“It is a fairly regulated proposition to open outside dining,” he said. “Not everybody is going to be ready to go tomorrow at five.”

Glassman also hoped the governor would begin relaxing some restrictions around indoor dining. Outside dining is not a clean fit for every business model, he said.

Hogan also encouraged local jurisdictions to close roads to give restaurants more space to serve. Glassman, too, is supportive of the idea, but many of the restaurants in the county fall within municipalities, which make the ultimate decision to close roads in their jurisdictions.

The county’s coronavirus statistics are still well below the state averages, leading Glassman to believe the county is safe to further reopen. As of Thursday, Harford County recorded 827 total cases, corresponding to 46 confirmed and three possible deaths.

“Our plan is based on where we are; we feel pretty good about our preparedness and numbers,” Glassman said.

Additionally, Glassman said, the county is cutting the first $7,500 checks to small businesses as part of its program of coronavirus relief grants.

Scott Carson, general manager of Bel Air’s Black Eyed Suzie’s, said the restaurant is in a scramble to prepare for the reopening of outdoor dining.

In addition to setting up its outdoor seating area, and potentially using the parking lot next door, Carson said the restaurant will be using disposable utensils and may serve food to customers in take-out containers.

“It did not take us by surprise; it was something we were hoping for,” he said. “Now it is a mad dash because this is just uncharted territory for everybody.”

As Hogan made the announcement Thursday, Carson said, phones at the restaurant started ringing with calls from patrons who wanted to make reservations.

“I am glad that its happening. As long as everyone respects each other… it is just going to be a wonderful thing for restaurants.”

Ralph Shapot, owner of the Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace, said that tables are going to be “totally clean” when patrons sit down at them, and silverware will be pre-packaged. The restaurant has been closed, but was planning to reopen for curbside pick-up on June 1 when the governor shook things up Wednesday.

The restaurant has started setting up tables on its deck and the adjoining waterfront lawn preparing to tomorrow’s opening. But it still has some things to take care of before opening back up.

“The only thing we do not have done, that we will have to do by hand, is signage,” Shapot said. “We may not have everything together right away, but it is going to be a soft opening.”

Back in Bel Air, Bagel Works’ Bielski thought the reopening of outdoor dining was a step toward some normalcy for customers.

Though the crowds concern her, she and other restaurateurs are aiming to comply with the governor’s orders and trying to keep patrons safe while resuming semi-normal operations.

“They want to feel normal again,” she said. “It is little things that kind of make them feel normal.”

Aegis staff writer Randy McRoberts contributed to this article.