On March 17, Governor Andrew Cuomo implemented a final call throughout the state for bars and restaurants – and the famous eating place in the Big Apple came to a standstill.

Hordes of employees, from waiters to chefs, are forced into the unemployment line because restaurant owners struggle to keep lighting the lights with only takeout and delivery constraints.

When the coronavirus crisis began to wane, New Yorkers were insanely hungry to know when and how the various restaurants and bars in the city would return – and what the “new normal” to get out eating and drinking in the city would look like.

This is what experts say.

When will NYC restaurant reopen?

Under Cuomo’s reopening guidelines, New York City must meet seven COVID-19 benchmarks before it can even think about opening a restaurant, which was not permitted until the third phase of the four-step plan.

If the five regions meet the benchmarks by June 1, it will be a minimum of six weeks before the city can enter phase three, which brings the earliest date for reopening the restaurant until mid-July.

“I look forward to July, “said Austin Publicover, who runs the Bulletproof consulting business! Food Safety and suggest more than 600 restaurants, many of whom want to reopen. “You told us to open Friday, we will be there Thursday as clock [strikes] midnight.”

During a recent call with the city’s top restauranteurs, Mayor Bill de Blasio discussed potential restaurants to reopen in three separate stages, ending with a full reopening after Labor Day, Eater reported Wednesday.

The mayor’s office did not confirm outlet reporting.

The restaurant consultant, Donny Evans, expected the same reopening early, but didn’t think it would be economically feasible for many. until September or even October – especially if capacity is limited.

“There are many restaurant owners [and] chefs who don’t have a lot of money in the bank after weeks of leave, how will they open and how will they operate at 50 percent? You can’t. “Evans said.

While he said limiting capacity was “the right thing to do from a public health point of view,” he was not sure how long restaurant owners would survive in such conditions.

“There will be many restaurant owners who are hopeful to return to this and the profits will not be there by the way they pre-COVID and they have to close as a result. I think there will be a big increase and then a rapid decline, “he said.

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, echoed the comments, adding to that despite the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program loan designed to encourage opening right after June 30, he thinks August is more realistic.

“I imagine the restaurant will open first. People can be placed separately. Bars and night clubs will be more challenging, “he said.

What will the ‘new normal’ look like in the NYC restaurant and bar scene?

Seating limits, disposable menus, salad bar monitors and fast music will all be on the table because restaurants and bars stagger back to normal, according to officials and experts.

“When you think about what we used to do a few months ago with restaurants and bars and everyone is very close and that is part of the energy we like about this city, it doesn’t happen immediately to say the least,” de Blasio told reporters in May 7th.

He said face masks and gloves will likely be part of the new normal, along with an emphasis on eating outdoors if possible.

Randy Worobo, a food safety expert and professor at Cornell University, said he would need to have a daily health check with staff to ensure they have not been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 or does not show symptoms themselves. It can also extend to customers – with signs advising anyone who is symptomatic to stay out, he added.

Barry Dry, who manages the Parched Hospitality Group, is preparing for the specific changes he will implement after it is safe to reopen.

“We will have social distance. The staff will do temperature checks, disposable cutlery, very clean workspaces, “Dry said.

He said customers could act as runners of their own food and take their food from “separate tables” to limit contact and exposure, because it was not possible for a waiter to remain six feet away while delivering food.

In order for visitors to enjoy their drinks and food without having to wrestle with a face mask, all staff must wear it.

If capacity is limited, Dry said, a three-hour long dinner from the pre-coronavirus world will not return for a while, because “Higher turnover” will be needed so that restaurants can benefit.

He plans to do that by blasting fast tempo music.

“[The] the music you play increases or decreases the time people spend, “the foodie explained.

Rigie said there would be more “mobile payments without contacts, disposable menus” and “mobile menus” where visitors can order directly from their cell phones to reduce the amount of surface that visitors must touch.

Melissa Fleischut, president and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, said self-service operations such as coffee shops and buffets will also see major changes.

“The new Normal will be a coffee station serving you instead of serving yourself,” Fleischut said. “Buffet too. You will have someone stand there and serve you from the buffet instead of you serving yourself and touching all the spoon handles.”

In places like salad bars, Fleischut said to expect a line overseer who will keep a social distance and make sure everyone “everyone does their part.”

Some restaurants throw all the servers together – the creator Brooklyn Chop House told The Post that he planned a dumpling shop with a type of Automat vending machine that became popular after the Spanish flu.

Another big change restaurant owner and the same New Yorker should expect is an overall decline in customers, regardless of seating capacity.

“I think they must be convinced, both by health experts in the country, CDC, New York City’s health department, that it is safe to return,” Fleischut said.

“I’m in the restaurant business. I’m not sure I want to go out to dinner, forget about the six foot problem, but the masked waitress … I prefer dinner at home,” Evans added.

On the bright side, at least culinary lovers need not worry about contracting the virus through the food itself, said Worobo.

“This is a virus that is enveloped and after digestion, acidity in the stomach quickly deactivates microorganisms,” the scientist explained.