VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — At the Virginia Beach oceanfront, restaurants have been welcoming guests for only a few days.
They will now have to close again because of the storm.
Waterman’s Surfside Grille on the oceanfront has roped off an area as the new patio section for customers to dine outside. Even during severe weather, they say they are covered.
“It was really hard to believe, to be honest, we started taking it slow as far as keeping it to a 10 person maximum inside and then strictly doing our focus on providing hot food for to go’s,” said manager Victoria Kelly.
And that has been the focus lately at Waterman’s.
Kelly says it is all about getting out the hot food. With outdoor seating now available, it has been easier than the last several weeks.
“We were able to extend our seating outside. Instead of having 18 tables, in the beginning, we are almost at 40 tables now,” she said. “We haven’t had any complaints, so far everyone has just been really happy to be able to get back and have somewhat of normality back in their life.”
A storm on the horizon could be bad weather for sitting outside though.
“I think we will be okay, I don’t think that will be affected too much,” Kelly said.
That is because the restaurant already has a covered patio specifically for cases like this. But even if they did not, they feel confident that the bad weather will not hurt them much.
“I feel like it’s falling perfectly — as far as days. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday is on our slower side so once it starts clearing up, it’s going to go right into the weekend,” she added.
Kelly says as long as they keep safety a priority for everyone and to-go services available — through the rain, shine, or pandemic — they will come out on top.
