Are Jersey Shore restaurants open for outdoor dining? Some are taking it day by day
The drifting wildfire smoke and hazardous air quality are keeping a lot of us inside. The emergency has caused concerts and other events to be canceled or postponed — and local restaurants are affected, too.
Outdoor dining stopped early at some popular Jersey Shore eateries on Wednesday. Is that continuing today? Will it continue this weekend? It's too soon to tell. Some are playing it by ear, while other places have postponed events until the smoke clears.
Big Barlow's BBQ in Manahawkin announced on Facebook that they are postponing the June 8 "Bike Night" until Thursday, June 15.
"It will not be safe for people especially kids to hang outside for hours," the post said. "We all care about you and your children and want you all to be able to enjoy the whole night."
All restaurants owned by Tim McLoone, like Tim McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park and The Rum Rummer in Sea Bright, closed their outdoor dining areas on June 7.
"All our locations have an outside dining component which is usually the first choice for our customers, McLoone said. "As the day progressed Wednesday the air deteriorated to the point where we had no outside diners and we closed those areas as if it were a rainstorm."
What about the rest of the week?
"It's indeterminate right now and that's the problem," McLoone said. "I coach high school track and they just canceled our meet for tomorrow ... There's stuff going on everywhere," he said. "We let the customers tell us what to do ... Yesterday they stopped sitting outside so it was a easy call around 3:30/4 o'clock when everything turned yellow. Today, we're opening outside, but once the customers tell us they don't want to sit outside, we'll close."
More: Are New Jersey schools, businesses, or government offices closed due to wildfire smoke?
Keansburg's Half Moon which opened March 2022, and Breakwater Beach Pavilion which just opened last month, are trying to figure out how to navigate the situation.
"Wow, we really take clean fresh air for granted and don't realize it until it's gone," said Diana Grossman of Half Moon. "We decided to stay open Wednesday, but experienced our slowest day yet. "Today, and the rest of the weekend, we have outdoor live music and have no idea if we are going to open or really what to do."
Patrick Jeffrey of the new Breakwater Beach Pavilion (who also owns Elli's Backyard in Red Bank), is hoping things get better, so that the entirely open-air, snack bar style, beach adjacent spot can run this weekend.
"We had a regular shift [Wednesday] night [at Elli's Backyard]," Jeffrey said. "We're hoping it clears up by the weekend for the Pavilion."
How to stay safe: Is the air quality a risk to my health? Here's what you need to know and what you can do
Naciye Ferhat Emren, better known as The Baklava Lady of Englishtown, has decided to close Friday, June 9, to protect customers. Her place is normally open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
"I wouldn't feel right asking our customers to come out in this to support us [while] the air quality is so bad and not safe at all ... safety over dollars always," Emren said. "We are just going to close for the day so that our employees can stay safe, and I hope our customers stay safe as well.
"Smoke smoke go away, don't come back another day," she added.
If you go outside, it is recommended to wear an N95 mask. and continue to check Air Quality Index scores.
Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore restaurants: Air quality impacts outdoor dining
