MA Oceanside Restaurants Hope For More Business As Beaches Reopen

HYANNIS, MA — Beaches officially reopen in Massachusetts on Monday, and as more people flock to the water, oceanfront restaurants across the state are readying for more takeout business.

Spanky's Clam Shack in Hyannis is one of many Cape Cod eateries with a business that depends on a busy beach.

"There are certain times of day you leave the beach, and that's when our influxes would be," assistant general manager Andrew Kette said, describing what normal dine-in business looks like when beaches around Hyannis Harbor are crowded.

Kette told Patch the restaurant is doing well during the coronavirus pandemic, but nowhere near as well as it would during a typical Memorial Day weekend.

But with beaches being allowed to re-open, Kette said, he's optimistic that more customers are coming. He said Spanky's has found creative ways to reach customers — like offering delivery straight to the beach.

“We never had delivery service until a few weeks after the shutdown," Kette said. "We figured let's make the best of this and see what we can do."

Others restaurants, like Tony's Clam Shop, are just getting started for the season. Owner Tony Canvalaft said he hopes the nice weather and an open Wollaston Beach will help, since he had to delay opening the restaurant to make safety preparations for COVID-19.

Canvalaft said his business normally opens in March, but he wasn't able to open until two weeks ago, which cost him to lose about 35 percent of his annual revenue.

"We rely tremendously on the beach in the spring,” Canvalaft told Patch. "Everyone is usually local, as people aren’t going on vacation until July or August."

"We’ve only had a few nice days where it’s actually warm," he added. "We are anticipating more crowds, but you can only do what you can."

But not every seaside restaurant owner expects to see more takeout businesses with the beaches open.

Victor Molle, the owner of Marina at the Wharf in Revere, said he doesn't anticipate more business until he's allowed to have dine-in services in some capacity.

Molle said shifting to takeout has forced him to limit the number of hours Marina at the Wharf is open. And although takeout is going well, Molle said, he essentially had to change his business model, since most of his customers used to come to eat outside by the water after a day at the beach.

"We're an after-beach crowd all summer long," Molle said. "People like to come from the beach and maybe have some steamers and beer."

Molle had hoped restaurants would at least be able to allow outdoor dining during phase one. He said it's "absolutely the time to move forward," especially because his customers can now take a short ride over the New Hampshire border to eat.

Dine-in service at restaurants is part of phase two of re-opening in Massachusetts and will not be allowed until June 8 or later.

Still, Molle said, he's fully prepared for when he can reopen his dining room and deck seating. Molle said the tables are already at least 6 to 10 feet apart at Marina at the Wharf. He's also fully stocked on masks and gloves and said he's taking sanitation seriously.

"When they tell us the date and the go time, we’re ready to go, and if there are any special stipulations, we are prepared to adjust," Molle said. "It's time to move on very safely and very carefully."