NJ Adjusts Rule; Patio Seating Allowed At New Ocean City Eatery

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Sand House Kitchen brought something a little different to Ocean City. The new restaurant features a seafood-inspired breakfast and lunch menu with a Hawaiian twist. It also faced an obstacle because of a little-known rule New Jersey set during the coronavirus pandemic.

State officials found issues with the outdoor patio deck overlooking the beach. It all happened quickly. Sand House Kitchen opened July 3. Three days later, a police officer delivered a message from the state.

The outdoor deck had a fixed roof, rather than a cloth or retractable awning. The covering is made from plastic roofing panel to protect customers from UV rays and inclement weather. The roof's material made the outdoor deck into indoor dining, according to the state's rules at the time.

"If we did have an awning out here like we do for some of our other restaurants, that would be fine," manager Jillian Noon told Patch on Wednesday. "But, literally, the material of the roof is why we couldn’t stay open for service on our patio deck."

It's probably a coincidence, but hours after Noon spoke with Patch, the state changed its outdoor dining rules again. Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he would allow businesses to open up their indoor spaces that can expose parts of their buildings — or "wall space" — to the outside. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Allow Expanded Reopening Of NJ Dining

As a result, Sand House Kitchen could finally serve customers on its outdoor deck. But in those two days before Murphy's new order, the restaurant got creative, letting customers use picnic benches outside on the beach.

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Sand House Kitchen, at 9 Beach Road, also serves takeout. And once the state lifts more coronavirus restrictions, the restaurant will offer some indoor seating, Noon says.

The beachfront restaurant is the latest Ocean City concept from the Idell family. It also owns Sunrise Cafe, Dead End Bakehouse, Drip N Scoop and Dockside Kitchen.

Sand House Kitchen is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Seafood-inspired breakfast items include the lobster eggs Benedict. It also serves a Hawaiian breakfast slider that features scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and fried Spam (substitute with ham if you're not feeling Hawaiian) topped with sriracha mayo on King's Hawaiian Rolls. See the menu here.

It wasn't the only Ocean City eatery with the roofing issue. Following Murphy's order, Oves Restaurant could also continue serving customers at its outdoor tables.

But even when Sand House Kitchen closed its outdoor area, it received positive responses from the community.

"They kind of think it’s a little ridiculous, what’s going on with the whole patio situation," Noon said right before the rule change. "But everyone’s been very supportive."

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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