Restaurants in Bowie are focusing on carryout service under the Prince George’s County’s indoor dining ban, although they look forward to when customers can return inside Jan. 16.
For Jerry’s Seafood, they can’t wait for customers to see renovations — redoing flooring, walls, server stations, and the bar — completed over the summer, even if they can only operate at limited capacity when it can reopen the dining room, General Manager Bradley Gainey said.
“We’re excited for customers to see it for the first time,” he said. “Even if we can open with 25% or 50% we would be happy. We want to do a nice opening for it.”
Jerry’s Seafood is one of many restaurants in the county affected by the ban on indoor dining in Prince George’s County. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced the measure earlier this month and it took effect Dec. 16. Under the restriction in the county, restaurants were still able to operate outdoor dining at 50% capacity.
The Maryland Restaurant Association sued the county, as well as a similar ban in Baltimore City, for the restrictions on dining but a judge upheld the county’s ban, determining it was to decrease transmission of the coronavirus and in the interest of public health.
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Judges in both jurisdictions recognized that restaurants are a unique industry because, unlike retail and others that can continue in-person operation at reduced capacity, customers must remove their masks to eat and drink.
Gainey said the carryout business was good before the pandemic began and has been solid throughout it.
Jerry’s Seafood also started shipping with Goldbelly, which is a curated marketplace for gourmet food and food gifts. They started before the pandemic and ship their crab bombs mostly. Gainey said the shipping has been “amazing for us.” In the new year, Gainey wants to continue growing the shipping business.
“Customer support has been incredible, we are so thankful we have such a loyal following,” Gainey said. “Without the carryout I don’t know what things would be like.”
Waiters at Jerry’s Seafood miss talking to customers and they are texting Gainey all the time asking when they are going to be open again, he said.
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Mark Torsani, owner of Chesapeake Grille and Deli, like Jerry’s Seafood had a carryout business established before the pandemic. He said, “it made it a little easier to transition to all carryout.”
Torsani would like to have customers dining indoors in the new year and said business does drop off when the dining room isn’t available.
“Support has been good and customers let us know they are happy we continue to keep going through this challenging year,” Torsani said. ”People seem to want to help us out and keep ordering.”
With everything being carryout, Torsani said supply costs have double and tripled.
“The cost are through the roof. We can’t adjust our menu or do a surcharge, so the supplies is the biggest issue doing all carryout,” Torsani said. “It really has an impact on the bottom line.”
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Torsani is missing the conversations he used to have with customers daily. He said they have at least one customer a day that comes to eat inside but have to tell them it is banned in the county.
“We miss the opportunity to have people that don’t want to sit in their cars or carryout food to be able to sit down and enjoy a meal,” Torsani said.
Chesapeake Grille and Deli offer a drive-thru pick up option and the restaurant is on all the third-party delivery apps. People have been ordering more steak and rib options, Torsani said.
