In a normal summer, New Bedford’s restaurants and other attractions would be bustling with business activity.
But in an abnormal year of state-mandated restrictions sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, how are they doing? What are they doing differently?
Across the city this summer, restaurants are opening up their patios, installing tents in their parking lots, or setting tables on their sidewalks for outdoor dining as well as finally being able to allow diners inside their establishments.
The Black Whale
But The Black Whale, at Pier 3, 106 MacArthur Drive, is one Whaling City restaurant that has stayed ahead of the game. After closing at the time of Governor Charlie Baker's March 23 shutdown order, it opened for take-out only on May 1, for patio-only dining on June 1 and, finally, inside dining on June 21.
“We've been very busy ever since,” Manager Jamie Strobino said, “and very happy to be back in business in this climate.”
They're back to full staff, 20 employees per day. At the peak of lunch hour all of the sparsely-spaced tables are usually full, Strobino said.
The Black Whale is still offering all the dishes on its regular menu. The only thing cut has been seating, which has been cut in half so that its public capacity matches current state COVID-related limits.
The other current differences include that the restaurant is now reservations-only, call-ahead seating only, to make sure it is never overcrowded.
Also, as mandated by the state, all guests must wear face masks. Staff have their temperatures taken and answer a series of health-related questions at the start of each shift. There's hand sanitizer on every table, and the restaurant is following an entirely new sanitizing protocol, thoroughly disinfecting each table after every use. Staff hand out disposable paper menus and even single-use check presenters.
The guests themselves are saying great things about being able to come back, Strobino said. “We are thrilled by how our guests are able to come back, and they are so happy to be able to be out again,” he said. “One guest booked once, then booked three more times. And we are thrilled to be able to take care of our guests again.”
The Zeiterion Theatre
The Zeiterion Theatre, normally the theatrical center of the city, has succeeded at fashioning its own outdoor space for its patrons, in the form of live music and movies at the Zeiterion Drive-In, hosted at the Seastreak Ferry Whales Tooth Parking lot on Acushnet Avenue.
“Since performances were paused inside the theater,” Zeiterion Communications Manager Maria Poulos said, “we worked with Mayor Mitchell along with the City of New Bedford, Seastreak, and the New Bedford Port Authority to offer the Zeiterion Drive-In at the Seastreak Whale's Tooth lot.”
The late June series has exceeded expectations. “We have now presented seven events at the Drive-In, three movies, and four concerts.” Poulos said. “In total, we sold tickets for 529 cars.”
She elaborated that the Zeiterion worked with the City of New Bedford to set up a stage for performers at the back end of the Seastreak parking lot, and the City provided restrooms as well. For the movies, The Z rented an inflatable screen and an FM transmitter.
“We had full access to the back end of the lot, and cars were parked in every other space so patrons could enjoy the drive-in from inside their car or in the empty space to the left of their vehicle with a face covering. The Zeiterion Drive-In required all staff, from promotions to crew, to wear face coverings as well.”
As for the remainder of the summer season, four performances which were originally scheduled for March have been rescheduled for inside the theater in late August, she said. But that’s only if COVID pandemic conditions allow.
“We are following the recommended guidelines and the show will go on inside the theater when we feel it is safe to gather there again,” Poulos said.
Meanwhile, the drive-in productions may or may not continue. “The Seastreak parking lot is unavailable after July 1,” she said, “so we hope to find a new location to continue the series.”
The Whaling Museum
After being closed since mid-March, downtown's other grandest institution, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, reopened its doors to visitors on July 9, though the first two weeks have been reserved for members only. The Museum opens up to the entire public on July 23 with the hours of operation will of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Sunday only.
Museum organizers said the team has been preparing its campus for a re-imagined museum experience. A newly designed path through the Museum has been designed to allow the most space possible for visitors to social distance throughout their visit. There are structural changes to the Museum's entrance, and protective Plexiglas shields have been installed at key locations. Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the Museum, and masks are mandatory for admittance. In addition to around-the-clock cleaning and disinfecting routines, the Museum has installed UV air purification systems throughout the building, which reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria in the air and on surfaces.
The Museum has also instituted a timed, online reservation system to reduce the traffic flow and time spent in line, and the maximum capacity is set at 125 people (25 percent of its total capacity).
“Because of the significant financial impact that COVID has had on our community, during our re-opening phase we have decided to offer admission to the Museum on a pay-what-you-can model,” said president and CEO Amanda D. McMullen.
Meanwhile, though the campus has been closed to the public, the staff has been busy creating digital activities and hosting virtual programs that will continue into the foreseeable future. The facility is monitoring the public health data available, as well as following the guidance set forth by state and local leaders, and it will open its doors only when it is both safe and recommended to do so. Therefore, reopening dates may shift dependent on the information made available.
The Drawing Room
Elsewhere around downtown New Bedford, gift shops like The Drawing Room at 36 North Water Street have chosen the online sales option. “With quarantine shutting down most of downtown New Bedford, we used this time to build out our online shop, anthif.com/shop,” said owner Anthi Frangiadis. “With no foot traffic, online sales were important, and previously only a fraction of our collections were online. We’ll have everything online by the fall. Local wine, beer, chocolate, and a number of new art collections are now online, with more to come.”
Frangiadis said she started online customer outreach three years ago. But she has seen over a 100 percent increase in online sales since the pandemic shutdown mandate in March.
Also since March she’s been emphasizing her Virtual Events, monthly tours of the artist studios whose work she sells. She even hosts virtual wine and beer tastings. Patrons who buy a bundle of the brand being sampled can then order more of their favorite item for curbside pickup. She said she does three of these events per month.
“It’s been our goal to bring something beautiful into people’s lives at a trying and stressful time,” she said. “We held virtual wine tastings instead of in-store events and streamed art demonstrations with many of The Drawing Room’s artists. As the area began to reopen, we launched monthly fresh flower pop-ups and private shopping appointments, in addition to regular shop hours.”
Tia Maria’s
The pandemic shutdown sparked The Drawing Room's next door neighbor, Tia Maria's European Cafe, at 42 North Water Street, to add services it never offered before, to great success combined with the attraction of the cafe’s outdoor tables on both sides of the street.
“We realized early on that we needed to adapt and change how we do business in order to stay open,” owner Jessica Coelho said. “We immediately added online ordering and this gave our customers an opportunity to view our menu, pay, and have a contactless pickup. In addition to online ordering, we began to offer curbside pickup.”
Then Cohelo was approached by Coastal Foodshed to collaborate with downtown New Bedford's Destination Soups, the Immigrants’ Assistance Center, Inc., and Yes! We Van to deliver meals to home-bound and socially isolated seniors.
The Immigrants’ Assistance Center made the wellness calls to identify those in need and Yes! We Van has committed to delivering meals daily,” she said. “Through these efforts, we were able to navigate through an unprecedented time. Typically our busy summer months start in May through the end of September. This year we had a late start but have turned to take out and added outdoor dining to makeup for lost business. In recent weeks, it’s been busy and we have been able to bring back most of our employees who we laid off in March.”
