#Some NYC eateries are already setting up outside tables for patrons

Diners eat at outdoor tables at Ed’s Lobster Bar in SoHo.
Taidgh Barron/NY Post

Some Manhattan eateries are jumping the gun on outdoor dining amid the coronavirus and setting up tables and chairs on the sidewalk, prompting takeout customers to sit and chow down — in apparent violation of the rules.

One SoHo restaurant was spotted by The Post on Tuesday bringing food to a person at a table of five outside, while two women were seen at a sidewalk table at a nearby establishment with a glass carafe of water and two glasses a day earlier.

“I think with what’s happening with social protests, social distancing is being misconstrued,” said a man sitting at the table of five outside Ed’s Lobster Bar on Lafayette Street.

A man who identified himself as the eatery’s owner but would not give his name told The Post, “We’re abiding by all the guidelines. We’re handing people their stuff. And if people want to sit down, they do.”

At BoCaphe next door, a pair of older women sat at a table outside with the glassware drinking water Monday, although it wasn’t clear if it was from the restaurant. The owner declined comment to The Post, as did the women.

City Hall spokesman Mitch Schwartz told The Post on Tuesday that eateries “can’t set up the tables in Phase One.

“That would obviously encourage people to stick around and hang out there, which is no good at the moment.”

Under the state’s Phase One of its reopening plan amid the deadly contagion, city restaurants can only do takeout while still adhering to social-distancing guidelines and other safety precautions such as workers and customers wearing masks inside during ordering.

Phase Two allows outdoor dining, while Phase Three will pave the way for a return to indoor seating, although at 50 percent capacity and with other restrictions.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the earliest the city will hit Phase Two is the beginning of July.

Neither the city nor NYPD immediately responded to questions for comment from The Post on the possible restaurant violations Tuesday.

At the restaurant Jack’s Wife Freda, also on Lafayette, a manager told The Post that people could sit at its outside tables while eating takeout Tuesday.

Several patrons were spotted drinking from plastic cups, and one requested a menu from a table.

“I got my bag, and I’m just sitting here for a little bit,” a male patron told The Post.

Customers were grateful for the seating access.

Jerry DeGerolamo of Brooklyn, who ordered take-out from Ed’s on Monday, said as he sat at one of its three outside tables that the establishment was “the only place we could find that allows us to sit down like human beings and eat a meal instead of having to eat in our car.

“It’s about time.”

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Association, said he understands restaurants’ frustration in wanting to get a jump on setting up outdoor space.

But “it’s clear that restaurants aren’t permitted to serve food outdoors,” he said. “Businesses need to be careful. They may want to accommodate customers, but other people will see it as a violation.

“The vast majority are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” he said. “We can’t condone a small business doing what they’re not supposed to do. But people are desperate.

“We need to get an outdoor dining system in place as soon as possible.”

-Additional reporting by Carl Campanile and Tina Moore