Some towns, including Manasquan, have already started closing off streets to accommodate outdoor dining while others, weather permitting, begin today. 

 

Towns such as Manasquan are implementing street closures to give shop owners extra space to hold outdoor dining.

It has the potential to be something new and something big, according to some restaurant owners who gave it a go Wednesday evening, including Chef Lou Smith from Blend on Main.

“Being the first night and weather what it was, it was very promising; [especially for] summer if this is going to continue,” says Chef Smith.

Although it felt more like early May instead of mid-June, the potential of what's to come this summer stood out.

“I'm not going to lie, I am a grown man and I was close to tears,” says Chef Smith. “It was fantastic to see some sort of normalcy.”

Since the pandemic, Chef Smith went through several versions of his home store, most recently converting about half of the space to a full-time market. He did whatever he could to survive. He hopes other towns take notice of what Manasquan is doing.

Main Street will be shut down every Wednesday and Thursday from around 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. from now right through the fall.