MAYPORT, Fla. — Singleton’s Seafood Shack in Mayport has come up with a creative way to bring in more business.
Monday, the owner, Dean Singleton, will have upwards of 30 tables in his parking lot and adjacent lots to accommodate overflow seating. He said it will also serve for people who may not feel safe inside a restaurant right now.
As Action News Jax has been telling you, restaurants can only operate at a max capacity of 25% and patio tables must be six feet apart.
Dean Singleton thought the worst crisis his business would endure would be the damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
But, he said, that was just the beginning.
“It’s been back-to-back-to-back hurricanes, and no relief from any of that,” Singleton said. “And then this, it’s another big bam!”
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Singleton said the COVID-19 pandemic has cost him 75% of his sales and staff.
“These [people] are my family,” Singleton said. “I consider each and every person who works for me is my family, and it’s hard whenever they can’t supply their families with food, and it hurts. It hurts really bad.”
After all, this business was passed down from Singleton’s own family.
So, to survive, he came up with this new idea.
“Whatever tables like these right here, we’re going to put them out in the parking lot. And I own a couple adjacent properties, and we’re going to put tables out there,” Singleton said.
In these times, business owners all across the country are looking for creative ways to stay open.
It’s sink or swim, which from the Matthew images, Singleton’s knows all too well.
Dean Singleton knows this will keep him afloat.
“We’ve survived 51 years,” Singleton said. “We’ll survive another 51.”
Action News Jax reached out to the city of Jacksonville to confirm this plan falls within the reopening guidelines.
Here’s the response from a city representative:
“This qualifies and is in compliance -- but any outside seating doesn’t have to be limited to 25%. It just needs to be tables 6 feet apart and no parties larger than 10. Indoors is the only space where it’s 25% capacity.”
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