2 weeks Ago
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — On a Thursday afternoon in February, Tom Harris looked around Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House on Ocean Heights Avenue. About a dozen diners were at the bar or tables chatting away while music played and the TVs aired sports highlights. It felt normal.
It wasn't that way five years ago. "It was a very unusual feeling," said Harris, 45, of Ventnor, owner of both Vagabond locations in Egg Harbor Township and Atlantic City. "Being in the restaurant business, it's scary.
Thinking about, this is your big investment, your excitement, and to have it when you first open, it's quite scary." The EHT Vagabond, located at McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links, opened its doors just days before the state shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Icona hotel opponent downplays Ocean City Boardwalk merchants vote New Atlantic City airshow to be held July 15 and 16 Atlantic City man admits strangling girlfriend who refused to have sex with him Ruling on motions to suppress in case of Atlantic City mayor, superintendent coming March 27 'Environmental justice' at heart of Trump holdup of funds for Atlantic City paving, officials say Ocean City downtown merchants back Wonderland plan Ocean City Council member calls vacant downtown store windows a disgrace Judge orders Blatstein to pay Showboat contractor $533K Swimming pool dropped from hotly fought Atlantic City beach bar plan Hundreds protest possible Medicaid cuts at Van Drew office The best new restaurants to try in South Jersey this summer 5 people arrested in assault on off-duty Stone Harbor police officer in Wildwood Feds revoke Atlantic Shores permit in latest offshore wind setback Philadelphia man sought for fatally stabbing Bridgeton man after breaking into his home Atlantic County employee allegedly stole EBT benefit cards, prosecutors say "We had just opened, and we really didn't get the hang of business yet.
We were so excited and then let down," Harris said. Back then, Harris wondered whether the thousands of dollars spent on the offshore expansion of the Vagabond brand, open in Atlantic City since 2013, would be a total loss. That included a big food purchase at the restaurant's beginnings that wound up going to waste because they didn't have the customers.
"To walk in here every day, even with the outdoor dining, it was just empty in here," Harris said. "People were only allowed to come in to use the restroom. Being a business owner, it was just a very awkward feeling.
" COVID-19 changed the face of tourism at the Jersey Shore. Five years later, some impacts remain. Like every place in the food service industry, businesses had to adapt or fail.
Takeout and delivery became the model as indoor dining was banned for more than half of the year. Open business hours were restricted, and people were afraid to leave the house to get food or simply work. That led to staff being cut, money lost and other factors that caused some small businesses that couldn't thrive under those conditions to fold.
According to CNN , as many as 72,000 restaurants may have closed nationwide during the pandemic. "Some businesses didn't go by the rules," Harris said, referring to articles he saw in the newspaper or on social media about places that received heavy fines or were shut down. "But we took it really serious.
"We had the health department come in and say how much they appreciated the way we were really obeying the new rules, because it was difficult for everyone. And once you were able to get a taste of business again, people had stools at the bar and were allowed back." One of the effects of the pandemic on restaurants was a focus on outdoor dining.
Places like Vagabond's original location in Atlantic City established an outdoor seating area that still exists. The Mile Stretch patio at that location is a nod to the avenue leading into the resort. "It took four years where we were able to get the city to grant us permission to use it year-round, and now it's something that will always be with us," Harris said of the Mile Stretch.
"It's no longer something considered temporary." Harris said he is fortunate that five years later those changes didn't impact the restaurant the way they did other places. But it did set up a model for what to do if something like that happens again.
"It keeps you on your toes and makes you look at the broader picture of business itself," he said. "No one knows when that could happen again, and if it really did happen, I think we would all be a little bit more prepared after going through something like that." On February 20, 2025, Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township.
On February 20, 2025, Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township. On February 20, 2025, Tom Harris, one of the co-owners of Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township, recollects the pandemic shut down and how it affected the new business location at the time, as well as their Atlantic City location. On February 20, 2025, Tom Harris, one of the co-owners of Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township, recollects the pandemic shut down and how it affected the new business location at the time, as well as their Atlantic City location.
On February 20, 2025, Tom Harris, one of the co-owners of Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township, recollects the pandemic shut down and how it affected the new business location at the time, as well as their Atlantic City location. On February 20, 2025, Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township. Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township had just opened when the COVID-19 shutdowns began, owner Tom Harris recalls.
On February 20, 2025, Tom Harris, one of the co-owners of Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township, recollects the pandemic shut down and how it affected the new business location at the time, as well as their Atlantic City location. Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township had just opened when the COVID-19 shutdowns began, owner Tom Harris recalls. On February 20, 2025, Tom Harris, one of the co-owners of Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township, recollects the pandemic shut down and how it affected the new business location at the time, as well as their Atlantic City location.
On February 20, 2025, Tom Harris, one of the co-owners of Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House in Egg Harbor Township, recollects the pandemic shut down and how it affected the new business location at the time, as well as their Atlantic City location. Contact John Russo: 609-272-7184 [email protected] Twitter: @ACPress_Russo Satisfy your cravings With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.
Digital producer Author twitter Author email {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
