FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 30, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
Astoria’s Ditmars Boulevard transforms
into a go-to destination for outdoor dining
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th ere is a new sport popping up around
Queens and the surrounding boroughs,
a movement that has the young and old
pursuing the perfect outside dining scene.
Since the advent of COVID-19 and the
dawn of curbside eateries, throngs of individuals
have been scouring numerous
neighborhoods for the perfect mixture of
fi ne dining, rustic ambience and the ability
to entertain friends in a socially distant
setting. For many, this “it” spot has
become Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria.
Like any sport, this activity has
two sides, yet instead of playing
against one another, the teams here
work in tandem. On one side we
have consumers looking to enjoy a
meal with fresh air, and on the
other we have
the businesses.
Like peacocks
spreading
their plumage
to attract
a mate, local restaurants
have been
sparing little expense
when constructing
their own unique
dining zones decorated
with potted plants, Plexiglas barriers and
yawning awnings.
Pedestrians will be hard pressed to walk
down any New York City street without
spying some fresh outdoor design to
put butts in seats, such as the ability to
pay extra for a VIP booth that Nino’s AQ
employs.
However, in order for both teams to
continue playing fairly, Gov. Andrew
Cuomo has implemented strict regulations
that prevent the serving of alcohol
unless ordered with food. Th is comes in
hopes of preventing overcrowding and
unlawful social clusters, akin to what we
have been seeing recently along Steinway
Street. We spoke with both diners and
local restaurants, getting their takes on
the newest rules and the new culture that
is outside dining.
Gissella Guzman and her husband Ryan
Guzman were both victims of the coronavirus
mere months ago. For three weeks,
the couple remained home battling severe
sickness. Now, on a
beautiful summer
aft ernoon, they
have pocketed
their masks
to dine out
with drinks to
regain some
semblance of
normalcy.
“We had
COVID-19 like three months ago, so we
have antibodies and we’re not totally concerned.
We have masks to put on when
we are not eating. It was awful — three
weeks of hell. But we are good now,” Ryan
Guzman said.
Still, despite suff ering from the virus
themselves, they are wary of Cuomo’s
new rule prohibiting bars and restaurants
from serving alcohol alone.
“I think it’s OK because it prevents
crowds, but it doesn’t make any sense.
People are going to do what they want to
do,” Gissella said.
Ryan nodded in agreement, saying, “It’s
not that hard to get around it by just selling
a bag of chips. Th ere are always ways
to work around it.”
Ciara O’Sullivan, manager of Th e
Rivercrest, takes the new rules in stride,
and simply reiterates to customers the
guidelines upon seating them at a table.
“We have a few smaller options that
they can order. We have sides with chips,
side with fries, carrots and celery with
ranch, and crackers with chive cream
cheese. We have options if people don’t
want to get a full meal. Th ey can still get
something substantial and it’s not going to
be an extra $10 or even $5 onto the menu,”
O’Sullivan said.
Ditmars Boulevard has become an
extensive strip made up of hanging fairy
lights and the sound of chatter, with some
locations even playing booming music.
Almost every business makes use of a distinctive
theme — that is, except for those
like TRU Astoria, for whom it simply
business as usual.
“We normally have outside dining, and
that’s one of the pluses for us at TRU. We
are operating on a normal summer schedule
on steroids because of the extra seating.
So, the thing that we are lacking is
our bar business and the inside seating.
Everyone is sick of being inside, so it doubly
helped us. We are very blessed to be
open,” said TRU Astoria general manager
Yanni Stathakis, who isn’t feeling
any backlash from Cuomo’s new alcohol
requirement.
“We’re not that type of place; probably
only 10 percent of people want to come to
us to grab a drink and walk the streets. If
someone does want to do that, we try to
refer them to one of the other businesses
as well. We’re more of the sit-down, family
place,” Stathakis said.
Th e impact on restaurants from coronavirus,
the inability to operate at full capacity,
and new alcohol regulations are worrisome
to local residents, as well as business owners
themselves. Astoria resident Gabriella
Macena has seen many local businesses
struggle and is overcome with emotion as
she sees these locations reopen and fl ourish.
“We have all seen how much trouble it
has been for local business owners, and
just to see everybody out again, it’s very
nice. It feels like they, like we, are free
again,” Macena said.
Although it reassures Macena to visit
her favorite diners again, she also admits
she has seen problems pop up fi rsthand.
“Th ere are those who are abusing that
freedom. Last Sunday, I was on Steinway
Street at night and just walking by … it
was just scary. Like there were hundreds
of people out with no masks. It wasn’t
spaced, and it was just scary,” Macena
said. “But I also feel that some of the restaurants
are getting more clients now than
they did previously. Some of the places,
I had never even paid attention to. As
everybody has outdoor space, even if you
don’t want to eat out, you still look and
check the menu. I think some of the businesses
have benefi ted and built clientele.”
Mere blocks from where Macena was
dining, the troubles she talked of are
being felt by Antonia Joannides, manager
at Queen’s Room. Prior to the pandemic,
Queen’s Room did not have a grand
outside dining area on their curbside.
Th e staff had to adjust their daily routine,
which now consists of their usual maintenance
as well as whipping out a measuring
tape and moving the tables, seats and
umbrellas outside every morning. Th e
addition of Cuomo’s new rule added yet
another obstacle.
“It’s almost kind of funny. Like, you’re
so against having to do one more thing or
hurdle aft er you cleared the last one. So, it
gets frustrating just trying to run a business
every day,” Joannides said. “You have
to order food with your drinks and that’s
a pain in the ass. We made little chips and
nachos plates, little cheap things to just
buy now. We are more of a sit-down place;
come the weekends some people want to
just grab drinks. So rather than lose the
business altogether, we played by the rules.”
As businesses shell out more money
and gimmicks to attract customers, the
thirst for normalcy has outweighed the
need for compliance for many individuals.
Particularly during the weekend, Ditmars
Boulevard is crawling with people trying
to return to life as it were, but it’s up to
the restaurants now to be the bodyguards
of their own businesses or else risk losing
their liquor license thanks to Cuomo’s
regulations.
Photos by Dean Moses
Ditmars Boulevard and its many restaurants — including The Boutique Bistro & Bar — has become a go-to destination for
outdo for dining.
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