RESTAURANTS AND BARS
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name out there. We did a good job and
customers were loyal.”
After reopening, takeout continues. “On
weekends, there might be a 90-minute
wait for dining because of the limited seating.
Many people prefer takeout.”
When ordered to close, Castaways immediately
added delivery and curbside
carryout.
“We ran skeleton crews and limited delivery
to about a two-mile radius,” Brooker
says, “handling it internally. The locals were
overwhelmingly supportive.”
MORE FOR LESS
Much of the extra work deals with practical
changes. Sanitation at Castaways had
always been on point, Brooker says, but
since the pandemic, they’ve gone beyond.
Everything is sanitized often, from door
handles, tables, chairs and floor to pens
and guest book for payment.
At 2nd Street Bistro, drink refills come in
fresh cups with new straws. Used menus
are separated for sanitizing. As with
everywhere, salt and pepper shakers have
given way to packets; condiments are by
request only.
Restaurants want customers to feel safe
about returning. At St. Lucie Draft House,
every other booth is available to encourage
social distancing — a phrase now
imbedded forever in our thinking. Some
tables were put into storage.
The Ocean Grill installed dividers
between booths instead. Fewer tables are
available, but it has added two window
tables for dining in the bar area as well as
three tables with umbrellas on the deck
outdoors with a limited menu.
Once its doors opened, delivery service
at Castaways ended.
“Carryout has slowed but some people
still don’t want to eat inside,” Brooker says.
“We’re still getting a lot of sales.”
Outside, picnic tables and umbrellas
have been set up for now.
When Fort Pierce closed off part of
Second Street to accommodate outside
tables, 2nd Street Bistro added eight
tables.
“They don’t get used much during the
day because of the heat,” manager Nick
Olson says, “but at night it’s great.”
The Bistro also removed some of the
tables inside to spread out more.
Olson says customers are more cautious
now, asking about sanitation policies. At
St. Lucie Draft House, servers wear pull-up
fishing-type masks by customer request.
Centers for Disease Control guidelines
have taken on new gravity.
“Gloves give a false impression of safety,”
the Grill’s Replogle says. “We use hand
sanitizer and wash hands often.”
A local cleaning company sanitizes the
entire restaurant every couple of weeks,
giving everything a complete spray-over.
Luna’s staff takes all of the CDC guidelines
very seriously.
“Our staff all wear masks and use gloves
when appropriate,” Horton says. “Every
menu is sanitized after each use and silverware
is rolled into a napkin using gloved
hands. Each booth is also sprayed with a
sanitized mist.”
HELPING THE COMMUNITY
Tami McHale, an operating partner with
St. Lucie Draft House, always allowed employees
to purchase items from her. Would
the public be interested?
“We posted our grocery list offer one
Sunday night and had over 30 orders by
the next morning,” McHale says.
Since April, orders have dwindled, but
there are enough locals who appreciated the
convenience of ordering meat, dairy, paper
goods and water for pickup or delivery that
the restaurant continued. >>
ANTHONY INSWASTY
Luna Italian Cuisine has been in downtown Stuart for 29 years with a loyal following that adapted to takeout until the reopening.
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