Surfing Pig owner: Prepare for a challenging holiday weekend

In recent weeks, Bill Bumbernick, owner of the Surfing Pig, has taken to Facebook to share live updates during the COVID-19 crisis.     

From virtual walkthrough tours of the bayside restaurant to detailed explanations on how operations have changed (along with an expansion approval), the videos have been viewed by thousands and continue to spark constructive dialogue.                                                                                                                                          
In his latest update, Bumbernick urged the importance of patience, preparedness and a tempering of expectations, as this most unique Memorial Day Weekend approaches.

“We’re excited to have everyone down here, but it’s going to be a challenge for you and for the restaurants,” he said, noting that the Surfing Pig and other local establishments saw record food requests this past weekend, while being limited to takeout and delivery services. “We need everybody on the same page, with some expectations that it’s going to be difficult.

“There are tens of thousands of restaurant seats on the island. And currently, due to the restrictions in place by the governor, there are zero (that can be used). And every restaurant on this island has been charged with going from, say, 100 service points, to one single service point, which is our front door.

“This creates a huge bottleneck in being able to put food together and distribute it out.”

In his Memorial Day Weekend Update on Tuesday afternoon, North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello acknowledged Bumbernick’s concerns and echoed the call for preparedness:

“Customers should expect long waits and the real possibility that you will not be able to get food from restaurants. And, with the restaurant capacity reduced, our supermarkets are going to be strained as well, so I would encourage you to plan accordingly.”

For those planning to visit the Wildwoods this weekend, Bumbernick had a few suggestions:

Stock up

“Try to shop at your local grocery store if you can, to pack up what you need to bring down. Of course, we have grocery stores here. My guess is that we could run into a food supply issue. There’s going to be a challenge getting food from those grocery stores, or things are going to be limited, there’s going to be challenge with certain stock. Make sure you take the time to really plan your trip down here.”

Avoid the rush

“There are going to be times, I think, when you’re not going to be able to get through to restaurants. If you decide you want to have dinner at 6 pm and you call in to a restaurant to try to get some takeout, guess what, you and 10,000 other people are calling into those restaurants at the same time.

“We‘re going to try to spread the food out throughout the day, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to go. If you’re thinking about ordering dinner, maybe think about ordering at 3 pm.”

Order now, eat later

“Most restaurants can’t say, ‘order at 3, pickup at 6.’ Some can, we can’t. We’re built to order on demand, you call and we’ll have the food ready in 35-40 minutes. Maybe order at 2 pm, put the food in the refrigerator and heat it back up for dinner. That may be the only way some customers will be able to get their food from restaurants this weekend.”

The bottom line

“Everyone is trying to plan for the onslaught of people coming down here and we’re going to do our damn best,” Bumbernick said. “These owners down here are some of the greatest in the state, for sure. They are doing to do absolutely everything they can to prepare, but we all expect that it’s probably not going to be enough.

“We’re all built to serve people in seats, not service people on streets.”

Boat rentals are back

On a positive note, Bumbernick said that boat rental operations have been reinstated, per an executive order from Governor Phil Murphy. I 

“For any of our boat rental customers, again, please be patient,” he said. “Please help us help you by following the rules, follow what we have to do if you want to get out on the water.”

For information on boat rentals, takeout menu and more, visit www.thesurfingpig.com.