Do You Own A Hoboken Restaurant That Will Offer Outdoor Dining?

Caren Lissner
Updated ·4 min read

HOBOKEN, NJ – Do you own or run a Hoboken restaurant that will be offering outdoor dining once restrictions are lifted Monday, June 15? Please email caren.lissner@patch.com and we'll include you in a roundup of al fresco dining options we're working on, or share details and contact information here. When you email us, include hours, address, specialties, restrictions, and any other relevant information you'd like our readers to have.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla noted in an email on Monday:

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As we communicated last week, Governor Murphy is permitting outdoor dining to begin starting June 15. Our staff in City Hall, in addition to Lt. Kucz from the Hoboken Police Department, have been working hard to speak to business owners and assist with outdoor expansion through the parklets, streateries, open streets, and more thanks to our business recovery plan...

A quick note for businesses that do not have outdoor sidewalk cafes – we are waiving application fees for new applications and for those that already paid for one, will be credited for 2021. Those that have sidewalk cafes can expand to adjacent properties with the neighboring property owner’s consent, and six feet of sidewalk width must be maintained at all times, while tables and chairs must be six feet apart measured from backs of opposite chairs to promote social distancing. Below are some requirements for businesses to incorporate who are opening for outdoor dining on June 15, as stated in Governor Murphy’s outdoor dining executive order:

  • Post signage at the entrance that states that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 should enter the food or beverage establishment

  • Limit seating to a maximum of eight (8) customers per table and arrange seating to achieve a minimum distance of six feet (6 ft) between parties

  • Rope off or otherwise mark tables, chairs and bar stools that are not to be used

  • Demarcate 6 feet of spacing in patron waiting areas

  • Provide physical guides, such as tape on floors, sidewalks, and signage on walls to ensure that customers remain at least 6 ft apart in line for the restroom or waiting for seating

  • Eliminate self-service food or drink options such as buffets, salad bars, and self-service drink stations

  • Disinfect all tables, chairs and any other shared items (menus, condiments, pens) after each use

  • Install physical barriers and partitions at cash registers, bars, host stands and other area where maintaining physical distance of 6 feet is difficult

  • Ensure 6 feet of physical distancing between workers and customers, except at the moment of payment and/or when employees are servicing the table

  • Require infection control practices, such as regular handwashing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal

  • Require frequent sanitization of high-touch areas like credit card machines, keypads, and counters to which the public and workers have access

  • Place conspicuous signage at entrance alerting staff and customers to the required 6 feet of physical distance

  • Require all food or beverage establishments to have an inclement weather policy that, if triggered, would require the food or beverage establishment 2 to adhere to Executive Order No. 125 (2020) and offer takeout or delivery service only

Additionally, according to the state, businesses should conduct daily health screenings for employees (such as temperature screenings and/or symptom checking), and provide and require employees to wear face masks. All customers must bring and wear face masks when going to a business to wear if going inside the business or using the restroom.

The state also recommends that businesses and customers utilize reservations as much as possible to limit overcrowding at restaurants. All businesses must have tables and chairs at outdoor cafe areas, as open outdoor bar areas without seating is prohibited.

In the next couple days, we will include some additional recommendations from the Economic Recovery Task Force for businesses and customers.

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Also on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy changed his restriction on outdoor gatherings from 25 to 50 people, with social distancing and other regulations still in effect.

He has also given dates for various types of nonessential businesses to reopen, with restrictions. For instance, hair salons will reopen June 22.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Don't miss Hoboken and statewide news alerts when they are announced. Sign up for free Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.

This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch