Sea Jax Tavern reopens for dine-in service

A popular Kettering pub has reopened for dine-in service for the first time since a coronavirus-related state mandate shut down Ohio restaurants’ dining rooms in March.

Sea Jax Tavern founder and owner Ron Sweeney said the restaurant’s dining room seating has dropped from 95 to 55 seats.

“Even though it may look different inside, it will still be the same great experience when you get here,” Sweeney told the Dayton Daily News.

The restaurant at 5900 Bigger Road across from the Oak Park Plaza near the Kettering-Centerville border has six patio tables with umbrellas that are available when the weather permits.

It offers carryout, and it has added curbside pickup, Sweeney said.

“In our quest to make Sea Jax Tavern the safest place possible for our guests, we have used a combination of dividers and spacing tables six feet apart,” he said. “At the bar, we are using multiple dividers so as to keep most bar seats. In addition to increased cleaning and sanitation procedures, we have improved air circulation by adding fans, and we have installed a whole-building air-purification system.”

Additional table dividers may be added over the next few weeks to increase interior seating, he said.

When there are no tables or bar seats available, the restaurant will post signs outside that advise guests to send in only one person from their party to add a name to the wait list.

“We will then ask them to wait in their car until we text them” that their table is ready, Sweeney said.

Diners will now be directed to enter through front door and exit through the patio door to eliminate two-way foot traffic inside the restaurant, Sweeney said.

Sea Jax Tavern’s hours remain the same as before the pandemic: Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday.

Ron and his wife Christy Sweeney founded Sea Jax in 2014. The restaurant celebrated its sixth anniversary in June by offering a threeday curbside pickup of its signature fish tacos.

For more information, call 937-439-1664 or check out the Sea Jax Tavern Facebook page.