Bayside’s Bell Boulevard bustles with life
as restaurants open for outdoor dining
BY DEAN MOSES
Bayside’s Bell Boulevard has always
been a bastion of life in the community
thanks to its bustling bars, restaurants
and street fairs. But due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the last few months have seen
the thoroughfares end, leaving only empty
streets and eateries offering takeout
and delivery, with other establishments
being closed outright.
It has been a difficult year for both
businesses and patrons alike, but the
methodical clouds could be lifting for the
summer thanks to the advent of phase
two in New York’s reopening.
Although the sidewalks are a little
more muted and the roadways are a little
less dense with traffic, laughter and
smiles can once again be found along the
Bell Boulevard strip as a semblance of
normalcy has returned to Bayside.
In accordance with the phase two
initiative, restaurants and bars can
now serve food and beverages through
outdoor dining. Many in the area have
erected banquet zones beneath the shade
of awnings and surrounded by custom
dividers in order to help put diners at
ease while also giving them privacy.
With business back in effect, owners
have taken the opportunity to bring their
unique ambiance to the sidewalk, Chef
David Arias, creator of Spanglish NYC
(4004 Bell Blvd.), designed and decorated
wooden frames with an eye-catching urban
graffiti style.
“We wanted to make something different
to get everyone’s attention. It’s really
positive that everybody is now outside.
Everybody is trying to get life back
again, so we tried to be very creative in
the things that we did. We are trying to
do everything better for our customers.
We get a lot of support from the neighbors.
We are doing good now,” said Charlotte
Zubieta, Arias’ mother.
Others like Maria’s Mediterranean
(38-11 Bell Blvd.) dressed its setup with vibrant,
potted plants that hang from 18thcentury
esque electric lamps. Although
it may not seem like it from the tables
filled with individuals enjoying their
meals, it was a long, hard road for owner
Patrons enjoy a meal outdoors at Bourbon Street on Bell Boulevard. Photo by Dean Moses
Maria Petridis to reach this point.
“We are excited to reopen. The pandemic
was a difficult experience because
we did not offer takeout service before.
We are not a takeout place, so we had to
transition to do that. We worked with
only me, my husband, and one other person.
We tried hard to try to survive and,
thank God, we did it,” Petridis said.
The business owners themselves
aren’t the only ones excited about phase
two. After long weeks quarantining and
social distancing, the ability to sit and
eat in a fresh setting can go a long way,
even for Bayside natives like Bruce and
Melissa Barnes, who were born and
raised in the neighborhood.
“This is new for us, being on Bell Boulevard
eating outside by the storefront,
because most places have a rooftop or
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courtyard. In Manhattan, outdoor eating
is a bit different because of cars and
foot traffic,” Bruce Barnes said while
enjoying cocktail shrimp beneath the
shade of Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse (3940
Bell Blvd.).
“It’s fantastic to see all of the restaurants
open, I just hope we don’t get a
resurgence of COVID-19 cases. It’s good
to see that some of the small businesses
are making money again, and hopefully
they are able to survive,” Melissa Barnes
said. “It takes away from a place when
you see store closures. When you drive
by and see so many places closed it is depressing.”
With all the fanfare about street dining,
it is overlooked by many that buildings
with the capacity to offer rooftop
services are now permitted to do so (allowing
only 50 percent of its capacity).
This creates a hybrid feeling between
outdoor and indoor eating, reclaiming
some much-needed normalcy for everybody
involved.
Cajun-themed bar and grill Bourbon
Street (40-12 Bell Blvd.) has reopened, offering
both curbside and rooftop services.
To accommodate additional customers,
Bourbon Street filed for permits that
allows them to use the parking space in
front of the restaurant to serve customers.
But with the expansion also comes a
lot of new challenges.
“We really have to just keep on top of
all of our guidelines and really refresh
ourselves each day and refresh all of the
staff as well, so we are retraining them as
well as retraining ourselves,” said manager
Dan Geoghan. “On top of that, it’s
also working into a new way of life. We
haven’t had an outdoor service like this
out front. We have our rooftop, which is
great, but now out front we are working
through our kitchen in limited space and
we are also doing construction.”
Due to employees’ concerns about
working during the coronavirus, keeping
a full staff has also been an issue.
“It’s a little trying right now. A lot of
staff members are worried about coming
back too early. It’s been hectic trying to
find the staff. We are getting new staff
in and trying to train them and get them
acclimated to our way of doing business
and catering to everyone’s needs,”
Geoghan added.
Even so, customers are happy to be
out and enjoy a meal with friends and
family. With terms like social distancing
becoming a life model as we head into
our new normal, the prospect of once
again reentering society to enjoy meals
in the presence of other human beings
presents great appeal.
“It’s so amazing. I was just saying to
the staff that I am so happy to just talk to
people and to interact because I’ve been
cooped up for so long and I feel like we
are all nicer to each other now because
it’s human interaction. Everyone is
more friendly than I’ve ever seen them,”
one Bourbon Street customer said while
soaking in the sun alongside a friend on
the restaurant’s rooftop garden. “We are
very happy to be out.”
/QNS.COM
