As the pandemic continues into the colder months, East End restaurants are extending the outdoor dining season with the use of heaters, tents, and igloos, and the East Hampton Town Board is seeking to draft a law that would allow restaurants to transfer up to 100 percent of their seating capacity from indoors to outdoors and use vacant indoor space to provide customers with a warm spot to pick up takeout orders.
The proposed law is an effort to help restaurants recoup losses caused by the pandemic, said East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc during the town board's initial discussion of the legislation on Sept. 15. "Restaurants have been among the hardest hit businesses in our town, and many of the folks that work at them are out of work or their incomes have been significantly reduced, and, generally, everybody recognizes that outdoor dining is a much safer way to dine," he said. "This is an opportunity for businesses to make up for some of the time they've lost."
Town code allows 30 percent of seating to be transferred from indoors to outdoors, but an executive order Mr. Van Scoyoc issued after the onset of the pandemic allowed restaurants to apply to have all seating outdoors. The law would implement a pilot program that would codify that permission for restaurants in nonresidential zones and allow those in residential areas to transition up to 75 percent of the seating outdoors.
Councilman Jeff Bragman said he thought the percentages were too high. "I'm concerned about dialing this up to 100 percent and 75 percent because of Covid," he said at the town board's most recent discussion of the law on Oct. 20. "The news on Covid is pretty grim out there." Ultimately, the board decided to leave the language as is until receiving feedback at a public hearing that will likely take place in December.
NancyLynn Thiele, an assistant town attorney, said members of the Business Recovery Group, a committee of business leaders that was formed to provide guidance for successfully and safely operating businesses during the pandemic, had suggested adding a provision to allow restaurants to use indoor space as an area to provide takeout. Board members were in favor of that proposal as long as Covid precautions, such as social distancing, were enforced, and the space did not become overcrowded or used as a bar.
Board members decided not to address the use of tents in the legislation, but according to state guidelines for outdoor dining, restaurants are permitted to install a structure that has a temporary or fixed cover, such as an awning or roof, "so long as such cover has at least two open sides for airflow."
According to town code, tents are only permitted to be used for up to two weeks, but Ms. Thiele said the town has allowed the time frame to be extended in accordance with the state's guidelines.
Last month, Moby's in East Hampton, Old Stove Pub in Sagaponack, and Calissa's in Water Mill installed open-sided tents, all of which are heated by fire-marshal-approved hot air blowers that are placed outside the space. The Ram's Head Inn on Shelter Island has five igloo-style structures, three for dining and two for lounging, all warmed by space heaters, according to Emily Needham, a representative for the hotel.
The tent at Moby's can accommodate 80 diners in a living room-like setting that features a mix of tables and plush seating areas. "We wanted to give people a sense of normalcy," said Nick Hatsatouris, a co-owner. "People just want to sit outside, and we're doing it in a way that makes you feel comfortable and safe."
At Calissa's and Old Stove Pub, the tents seat 50, and business has been brisk. "Old Stove Pub is busier than it's ever been in 53 years," said Joseph DeCristofaro, the owner. On a recent weeknight, the restaurant had served more than 200 diners, he said.
The majority of East End restaurants have been relying on heaters to ward off the cold, according to Nicole Castillo, executive vice-president of Word Hampton, a public relations firm that represents a wide range of restaurants. "I have not come across any places creating any new spaces or erecting a tented area," she said of her clients. "Most are staying with the heaters for as long as they can."
Although his restaurant has a tent, even Mr. DeCristofaro questioned how long it would be a viable venue. "When it dips into the 30s, there's no way to keep that tent warm," he said.
As Ms. Thiele noted at the Oct. 20 board meeting, "the state executive order didn't take into account colder weather."
