Outdoor dining takes to the street at Lakewood Ranch during the COVID-19 pandemic

A portion of Lakewood Ranch Main Street has been blocked to traffic since Gov. Ron DeSantis gave the OK in May for retail stores and restaurant dining rooms to begin reopening.

Cars have been replaced on the north end of the street by sun umbrellas, tables and chairs, allowing diners to eat their meals outside on the street, where, with social distancing, the threat of COVID-19 is reduced.

Merchants say they like the change by landlord Lakewood Ranch Commercial to give struggling restaurants a boost during the pandemic.

Jean Christophe Nebra, owner of Paris Bistrot, 8131 Lakewood Ranch Main Street, says he now has 44 outdoor seats and that is a big help.

“When the dining rooms were first allowed to reopen with 25 percent capacity, we had only 10 seats inside and that was not enough to survive,” Nebra said.

“It is amazing, This is a very big help,” he said. “Most of the customers tell us they want the street to stay like this. It is exactly like this in France.”

Cheryl Cruse operates Casa Maya Mexican Restaurant, 8126 Lakewood Ranch Main Street, across the street from Paris Bistrot, and said that she too likes the flexibility that tables in the street offer. Customers can choose whether to dine indoors where there is plenty of air conditioning or outdoors where there is more space.

“We have been doing very well. People are patient under the circumstances. We’re hanging in there. It’s almost equal, the number of people eating inside and the number eating outside. It’s a little hot for our patrons during the lunch hour, so more of the dinner crowd chooses to eat outside,” Cruse said.

Diane Creasy, owner of Epic Home Decor, moved her business from San Marco Plaza to Lakewood Ranch Main Street in February, just before retail facilities were ordered closed in March to flatten the curve against COVID-19.

“We sustained ourselves during the lockdown by doing design jobs, thank God. That held us over. I applied for government aid but it was denied,” Creasy said.

Located across the street from the Grove restaurant at 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Epic Home Decor benefits from the restaurant trade, even that on the far end of the street that has been closed to traffic.

“It has been wonderful. It encourages people to shop around, and bring their kids. Of course, they come in here, too, and look around,” Creasy said.

“We are just loving it. We are in a primo spot across from Grove, and there is plenty of parking. I am so happy with the location, the 20-foot ceilings, and the automatic doors,” Creasy said.

Bradenton restaurateur John Horne spoke to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council on Monday and said that restaurant operations are a struggle during the pandemic, but allowing the resumption of short-time rentals has been a big help to eateries.

Even so, recovery in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a struggle for everyone, Horne said.

“As we ramp up and we go through the different phases of opening back up, there are still some restaurants that have not opened their doors for various reasons,” Horne said.