Could we finally see light at the end of the normal tunnel?
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Phase 1 reopening guidelines, dubbed the “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery,” set out the stage for reopening starting May 4, as The Islander went to press.
Joey Dale, who co-owns the Feast Restaurant in Holmes Beach, said his dining room would open May 4 with the required 25% occupancy and outdoor dining would resume with proper distancing.
Prior restrictions had limited the Feast and other restaurants to takeout and delivery services.
Dale said carryout orders and package sales of wine and beer would continue after the opening.
Slim’s Place, 9701 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, announced early its plan to open the allowed inside seating and outside tables May 4.
According to owner Chis Smargisso, the eatery was set to continue takeout and daily specials, too.
The Ugly Grouper restaurant and bar in Holmes Beach also planned early for a May 4 reopening.
The restaurant posted on Facebook: “We cannot wait to have you back and we truly look forward to providing the island with a safe, fun spot for entertainment!”
On the cautious side, Sean Murphy of the Beach Bistro, Eat Here and Doctor’s Office, said: “not yet.”
“We are hard at work readying our old Bistro for this new environment,” Murphy stated.
“While we work, the phones ring and ring. ‘When are you opening…?’ ‘When can we come back?’”
But, Murphy wrote in an e-blast, “We don’t think it’s safe yet. And right now our No. 1 priority is safety.”
Anna Maria Oyster Bar owner John Horne was siding with other cautious restaurateurs on reopening. His May 1 email news blast announced: “We’re ‘almost’ baaaack!”
Horne said he’d been communicating with some local restaurateurs on “what’s best for our community, our guests and our staff. It’s all about customer confidence in any business.”
“Almost to a tee, every restaurateur I have spoken with has the same opinions as we do. We’d rather open a week later than need be, rather than a week too early.”
“We’re gonna wait just a little longer before we open our doors and our patios,” Horne continued.
Jason Suzor, owner of the Waterfront Restaurant in Anna Maria was closed for most of the safer-at-home orders but similar to the Feast and Slim’s Place, he reopened to serve a refined takeout menu and he also opened a curbside cocktail bar. However, he said he doesn’t yet feel it’s safe to open the dining room to customers, and he plans to stay on the takeout course.
For the Chiles group of restaurants, the Sandbar, Beach House and Mar Vista, an announcement on Facebook for the Sandbar said it was continuing takeout service and would “see what happens over the next several days. We want to carefully balance the health and safety of our employees and customers with the welfare of our business.”
Tanner Enoch, who runs the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe at the Manatee Public Beach and the concession at Coquina Beach, said he planned to decide whether to open following a staff discussion.
Other island businesses took another route, either by choice or as dictated by the state.
Salons offering hair, massage and nail services, as well as fitness centers, were to remain shuttered.
The restrictions are part of a three-phase reentry grounded in up-to-date data, COVID-19 spread, risk and readiness, according to the state.
The plan stated that if COVID-19 data showed an increased spread of the virus in any phase, the state would remain in that phase. How long the first phase would be in effect was unclear.
But many island business owners were taking advantage of the ability to open their doors and dining rooms, even if it meant operating at 25% seating capacity or placing tape on the floors and outside sidewalks to delineate social distance.
Lindy Gilbert, owner of Small Town Creamery in Holmes Beach, was planning a May 8 opening and offering free ice cream 4-7 p.m. May 9.
“We are just celebrating actually surviving this long,” Gilbert said. “We want to give somebody a smile.”
— Islander staff report