Phase II in East Meadow means outdoor dining, haircuts and more

Long Island entered Phase II of reopening on June 10 and, to celebrate, members the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce lined a portion of Front Street and East Meadow Avenue with American flags. 

Businesses qualified to reopen under Phase 2 included barbershops, financial advisers, insurance and real estate brokers, storefront retail establishments and outdoor dining. Houses of worship, which were allowed to open under Phase 1, saw the number of permissible attendees increase to 25 percent of capacity — up from a total of 10 clergy and worshippers under Phase 1.

Many restaurants created outdoor seating arrangements for patrons to dine-in and to comply with social distancing guidelines. John Horak, 77, of East Meadow, has dined at the Grand Stage Diner, in East Meadow, for breakfast every day since it reopened. “I live close and I’m not that crazy about cooking,” he said. “And this is my favorite stomping ground.”

Horak explained that the reopening process has appeared disjointed when it comes to the differences in dates on a federal, state and local level. He likened the way in which the governors decide on reopening dates to a caller pulling a ball from a Bingo cage. “ “But it looks like we’re coming out of it,” he said. “I don’t think we’re ever going to go back to normal, but at least we’ll have some form of life again.”

The Grand Stage Diner is still offering curbside and takeout, offers its full menu and has its bar stocked to make cocktails both on the rocks and frozen. Its seating capacity has been reduced to 80 percent in its new outdoor dining area. Asked what went into reopening, owner Tom Argyris said, with a laugh, “A lot of sweats.” In February 2019, Argyris and his sons George and Nick opened the diner under its new name and it has since become a staple of the community. They are active in the East Meadow Chamber, which has been helping its members stock up on the  necessary supplies to keep employees and patrons safe and healthy, including facemasks, gloves, hand sanitizer and toilet paper.

The “reopening kits” were one of the many ideas created by a chamber committee dedicated to post-pandemic efforts. Ted Rosenthal, founder of the law firm Rosenthal, Curry & Kranz. He and Jim Skinner, owner of A&C Pest Management, co-chair the committee, which also includes Skinner’s son James, also of A&C, and Richie Krug Jr. and Tom and Lyndsey Gallagher, all of Century 21 American Homes.

To encourage residents to patronize Chamber businesses, the organization will also be giving out a total of $5,000 in cash rewards. Anyone who patronizes member businesses will receive five points for every $20 they spend and points could be redeemed for a chance to win up to $600.

Before Long Island entered Phase I, another East Meadow business owner had been anticipating a post-pandemic world by asking consumers ow they picture it. “What’s the new norm, and what does America 2.0 look like in terms of dining — that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” said David Boller, owner of Garden Social Beer Garden and Kitchen in East Meadow. “It’s not about who make the best burger anymore. It’s about who makes the customer feel most comfortable.”

Boller, who will be reopening Garden Social on June 24, launched an online survey on his restaurant’s Facebook page in late April. Roughly 750 respondents answered a series of questions about their fears, hopes and expectations about post-pandemic dining. Boller released his findings from the survey last week, as East Meadow entered Phase II.

Of those surveyed, 31 percent said they were concerned about the risk of going to a restaurant, while 57 percent said they were concerned going to a community gathering and 52 percent said they were concerned taking a flight.

Roughly forty-eight percent of those surveyed said they would be hesitant on dining out, but would still try it. Meanwhile, 37 percent plan on dining out at least once a week.

Lastly, 73 percent expect the new requirements and protocols to last for six months to a year. And 86 percent said that they consider visible evidence of cleanliness procedures as being the most important measure restaurants take when reopening.

Five of New York’s seven regions have already begun operating under Phase 3. If conditions warrant, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has said she expected Long Island to be ready to implement Phase 3 by June 26. Since it primarily benefits the hospitality industry — dine-in service in particular — this would be good news for the area’s restaurants and diners. Hotels will be able to serve diners in their restaurants as well.

Some states have seen increases in the number of positive tests for Covid-19 as they have reopened. According to the Associated Press, rolling seven-day averages have picked up significantly in 21 states, including Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina.

So far in New York, however, “All signs are positive,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said before the reopening of Phase 2. “They’ve made great progress.” He was clear, however, that any significant spike would be met by an immediate rollback to previous, more stringent conditions.

Timothy Denton contributed to the reporting of this story.