Five Towns restaurateurs say they are ready for Phase Three

A trio of restaurant owners in the Five Towns are to a man excited that they will once again be able to serve their customers in-house as Long Island moves into Phase Three of reopening the economy as the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

As of Wednesday, June 24, restaurants will be permitted to open for inside, in-person dining, provided employees and patrons wear masks, and six feet of social distancing is maintained between tables. Spas will also be allowed to reopen.

Restaurants will only be permitted to reopen indoors at 50 percent capacity, according to the governor’s New York Forward website. The maximum number of people per table will be 10.

“Oh, we are ecstatic about it,” said Randy Rosner, owner of Bagel Boss in the Peninsula Shopping Center in Hewlett. “It will be a good boost for all the restaurants and the people who want to go out.”

Bagel Boss has been open for curbside and in-store pickup and delivery since the pandemic began, Rosner said, adding that when Phase Two began several tables were placed outside for customers as allowed by the New York state mandated guidelines.

He said that all services would remain and having the tables six-feet apart inside will yield roughly only 30 percent. Severs will wear mask as per the guidelines. “Curbside service will continue as it’s working out and people use it to avoid standing in line,” Rosner said. No one likes to wait in line but you are missing a great part of Bagel Boss’s ambiance: FM rock radio station Q104.3 wafts through the business’s sound system.

In Woodmere, Friendlier Pizza and Restaurant owner Vito Vinceslao said being allowed to resume in-person dining is a “total blessing” and his eatery survived the pandemic’s pitfalls because of their patrons.

We’re very fortunate, we fed the whole neighborhood and then we have the outdoor tent,” he said. “People who feel comfortable will come and those who don’t that’s understandable. Gradually we’ll get there. We have a very loyal clientele.”

Vinceslao said that only one of the restaurant’s two dining rooms would be able open. Patrons can always order for pickup or takeout and the tent will remain for now. “We are very fortunate the parking lot is well positioned for it,” he said, “the store next to us is empty and the supermarket [Gourmet Glatt] is slower in the summer. We are doing excellent. I have no complaints.”

At Remy’s Italian Restaurant on Franklin Place in Hewlett, owner Remy Kurtaj said he is more than prepared to reopen for in-person and the half dozen tables he set up outside will remain. “I think it’s time, everybody is ready and whatever recommendations there are we will follow,” he said. “It’s time if you ask me.”

Curbside pickup will continue, Kurtaj said, along with delivery. “Business, honestly for every restaurant it’s tough. Hopefully together we’ll get through it.”  

Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted that businesses must keep up coronavirus safeguards. He issued an executive order on June 18 giving local authorities the power to immediately shut down businesses that do not maintain safety protocols. Bars and restaurants that do not can lose their liquor licenses.