Business & Tech
Indoor Dining To Supplement Moorestown's Outdoor Proposal: Mayor
Indoor seating capacity at restaurants and bars will be limited when it returns July 2. Moorestown votes on outdoor proposal July 13.
MOORESTOWN, NJ — Even as Moorestown continues to work on legislation to permit businesses to expand their footprint for the purposes of outdoor dining, a return to indoor dining in New Jersey is on the horizon.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday that indoor dining may resume on July 2, limited at first to 25 percent capacity of the rooms in which they will take place, with a maximum of 100 people.
With indoor seating capacity limited, outdoor seating will continue to aid local restaurants still looking to recover financially after being closed for the last three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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“It’s not going to effect what we’re planning,” Moorestown Mayor Nicole Gillespie said of the township’s proposed outdoor dining plan. “We’re expanding outdoor dining and allowing restaurants to seat up to their original capacity. This will just supplement what we’re doing.”
Find out what's happening in Moorestownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Moorestown Council has already passed a resolution allowing restaurants and bars to serve food and drink outside. A proposed ordinance on introduction that allows restaurants to expand their footprint to allow outdoor dining was recently upheld by the planning board and will go before council for a final vote July 13. Read more here: Moorestown Moves On Approval For Outdoor Dining
Gillespie said being able to go inside will help restaurants when it rains, as it did on Saturday, the first weekend day restaurants were allowed to open for outdoor dining in the state. She also said she believes the state is progressing with its reopening at the right speed, and is encouraged to see many people outside following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on wearing masks and social distancing.
“People get it,” Gillespie said. “They saw the damage. Moorestown’s numbers were high, and people understand that. They’re protecting their families and others.”
See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
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