HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Open air, cold drinks and hand sanitizer. In Hollywood, Thursday was Day 1 of the temporary Café Zone program. On the Hollywood Broadwalk and on Hollywood Boulevard, there are now areas designated as café zones from Thursdays through Sundays.
One diner already seated at a table beachside at Bonny and Read's on the Broadwalk said she liked the idea because it helped by having the tables more separated to allow for social distancing. Restaurant owners like it because they can serve more people with the outdoor space.
"We’re taking advantage of the extra table space out front and so far so good," Bonny and Read's owner Jaimie Hawkes said.
One zone on the Broadwalk is from Harrison to Carolina Streets, while the other is from 19th to 21st Avenues on Hollywood Boulevard, where barricades block the road to cars.
Even with more space outside, not everyone we met was ready to get back out and mingle.
One person on the Broadwalk said: “Nah, I’m gonna chill for right now.”
But Hawkes and other restaurant workers and owners are ready. “We’re really looking forward to seeing some people. The weather is supposed to be great. We’re ready. We’re stocked up. And all we need are some customers,” Hawkes said. He is hoping for crowds with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
Kayla Hicks of Nick’s Restaurant said: “If we can just make people happy and get everybody back to the new normal, I think it’ll be fine.”
Hollywood police will be enforcing new rules on the Broadwalk on café zone days — there are no bicycles allowed when restaurants have additional seating set up outdoors.