‘It’s a great feeling’: Philadelphia restaurants reopen for limited indoor dining

Philadelphia restaurants, operating under limited capacity, welcomed customers back inside Saturday for the first time in months since the city shut down indoor dining.

They were lined up at Gallo’s Seafood on Roosevelt Boulevard before the doors opened at noon, said manager Patty Harvey. Others were calling to make reservations, she said.

“We’re off to a great start,” Harvey said. “It’s a great feeling.”

At the Green Eggs Cafe on Dickinson Street in South Philadelphia, patrons showed up for breakfast and brunch. The cafe, celebrating its 11th anniversary with a special birthday French toast menu item, was at capacity, said manager Tina Casteel.

Nearly every available table was filled and new guests were escorted in as soon as space was cleared. Some guests waited in the lobby and a few opted to eat outdoors.

“We have a steady crowd,” Casteel said. “I always enjoy being around people.”

The city shut down dining rooms for a second time on Nov. 20 to brace for a holiday coronavirus surge. That left restaurants scrambling to stay afloat with takeout business and outdoor patrons, and employees in limbo awaiting word on reopenings.

» READ MORE: KeVen Parker, soul food entrepreneur and owner of Ms. Tootsie’s, dies at 57

The big restaurant groups, such as those owned by Stephen Starr and Michael Schulson, planned to reopen this weekend. Steak 48, a massive Center City steakhouse that opened just after Labor Day, booked all of its 90 seats in anticipation of the reopening.

“Even at 25 percent capacity, it’s a great sign of hope, and soon we’ll start feeling a sense of normalcy again,” Starr said in a statement. “This city and its people are resilient and we look forward to seeing our guests indoors.”

There was a packed crowd at the Reading Terminal Market. Shoppers waited in line for seating at tables in one section. Others sat at counters.

Some smaller operators will not reopen now, like 1225Raw, a Center City sushi restaurant that plans to stick with outdoor dining. Others say they want to wait to see what happens with the coronavirus.

For some restaurateurs, opening at less than full capacity and without bar seating is not profitable so they are staying closed for now. Some owners plan to reopen when their staff is vaccinated.

Outside Ms. Tootsie’s on South Street, mourners left flowers on the sidewalk to honor the restaurant’s founder, KeVen Parker, who died Friday of cancer at 57.

The Southern-style restaurant was closed Saturday. A sign in the window said takeout service was available.

As the coronavirus death toll continues to rise, the pandemic continues to impact everyday life, from restaurant dining to schools, with hope resting on the arrival of the vaccine.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday confirmed 7,166 additional positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 761,777. There were 231 new deaths reported.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy reported 5,246 new cases Saturday and 96 deaths. In a tweet, Murphy expressed frustration over a report that a coronavirus vaccine reserve had already been depleted when the Trump administration said it would be released.

“We need answers for why this stockpile doesn’t exist and our allocations have been reduced from what we expected,” Murphy said.

It has been a tumultuous time for eateries. The city suspended indoor dining in Philadelphia from March 16 to Sept. 8, and then allowed restaurants to open at 25% occupancy. The city increased the limit to 50% on Oct. 2, but that changed again six weeks later when everything was shut down again.

While restaurants saw positive signs Saturday, it’s too early to tell how eager patrons are to dine indoors. Some opted to eat outdoors Saturday at places where indoor seating was available.

Many safety guidelines remain in place, including a limit of four people, all from the same household, at a table. At Green Eggs, for example, masked workers wore gloves while busing tables with sanitizer. A sign on a table urged patrons to keep their distance.

“There’s a good buzz. It feels good in the city,” said Kayla Bolyai, a Starr spokesperson.