By Greg Ellison

(June 4, 2020) After Maryland’s covid-19 phase one reopening plans expanded to include limited outside dining on Friday, the Ocean Pines Yacht Club, and to a lesser degree the Beach Club, witnessed patrons gradually returning for food, drinks and some sense of normalcy.

Matt Ortt Companies cofounder Ralph DeAngelus said Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order unveiled on May 27 permitted Maryland food and beverage establishments to begin

With adjacent pool facilities yet to open last Sunday, the Ocean Pines Beach Club attracted a sparse crowd after launching open air food service following Gov. Hogan’s executive order permitting restaurants and bars to serve patrons outdoors under social-distancing guidelines starting on Friday.

serving patrons outdoors under social-distancing guidelines starting at 5 p.m. last Friday.

“We’ve cut our people count down there by 75 percent of what we could fit out there normally,” he said.

Currently, state health-safety mandates in Maryland allow open-air dining service under phase-one reopening plans, but include social-distancing guidelines for patrons, while limiting a maximum of six people per table, with the exception of members of the same household.

Additionally, restaurant staff is required to wear facemasks when interacting with the public or cohorts.

DeAngelus said while the recent allowance for outdoor food service provides an improvement on the previous carryout-only restriction, business volume remains severely limited.

“That’s the most we can do right now, and then to make matters worse, it’s completely reliant on Mother Nature,” he said. “If it rains … or if it’s 55 degrees, we go down to nothing.”

DeAngelus said as precise dates for reopening OPA pool facilities are being fleshed out, the fiscal challenge at the Beach Club is even more daunting.

“The Beach Club lives and dies by the pool,” he said. “The fact that there are seven trillion gallons of water 60 yards away, that helps, but really the pool is a giant draw.”

DeAngelus said last weekend’s revenue figures indicate that the club and its oceanside patio will see fewer people until the pool opens.

“It’s been very slow at the Beach Club,” he said.

While hopeful the adjacent pool will reopen as soon as this weekend, DeAngelus said less than a handful of tables had to be removed from the small outdoor dining area at the Beach Club to meet state guidelines.

Hogan’s executive order permitting restaurants to serve outside tables also requires single-use disposable paper menus or reusable menus sanitized after each use, sanitizing tables and chairs between each seating, as well as health-safety training and daily temperature checks for staff members.

Despite recalling waves of laid-off Yacht Club staff members beginning in early May, the typical summer season crew count has yet to be reached.

“Our business volume has been cut significantly and operationally it’s been tough,” he said. “We are getting our staff back slowly but … normally by this time we would have full staff back.”

After the latest round of employees returned on Friday, one more group is anticipated to join the ranks before this weekend.

“There’s one last wave ready to come back and they’re just trying to clear up their unemployment situation,” he said.

During the initial weekend of outside food service at both the Yacht and Beach Clubs, the public outpouring of support was evident, DeAngelus said.

“All those people are coming back slowly to sit outside,” he said. “You can’t ask for more than supportive and patient.”