You Got Served: Ford F-350 Becomes Private Bistro

East Coast couple finds a clever way to enjoy a hot meal from their favorite restaurant despite ‘take out only’ restriction.

A clever New Jersey couple has found a way to adhere to requested social distancing protocol by opening up an exclusive–very exclusive–private restaurant in the sleepy beach town of Cape May in southern New Jersey. And they opened that restaurant in the bed of their Ford F-350 truck.

See, Cape May couple Nate Douglass and Patty Behrens thought they’d pick up some to-go dinners from their favorite restaurant, Oyster Bay, but with folks not being allowed to dine in, the couple figured out a way to enjoy their meal hot without having to trek home to do so — they simply turned the bed of their Ford F-350 into a makeshift private dining patio.

Here at F-150 Online we’re still trying to get used to this whole “new normal” scenario. And while we hope things get back to the way they were soon, in the meantime we have all had to relearn and rethink how to do things differently. So, all things considered, we’re always happy to find and share uplifting stories of how folks are keeping things fun. And we certainly raise a toast to this couple’s ingenious idea.

The story was recently covered in The New York Post, and although the video does not provide much backstory, the couple has apparently used the truck’s bed as a private patio dining room on more than one occasion, where they can take in the scene in their neighborhood while dining under the stars.

“Talk about dining al fresco!” says Virginia Murray in the clip as she films the couple and compliments them on their daring dining idea. Murray mentions that this is the second time she has spotted Douglass and Behrens dining curbside in their F-350. We agree, it sure is an interesting way to enjoy nightly dinner, and the roomy bed and useful steps create a space that does provide the ambiance of a private outdoor patio. Plus, if the couple gets tired of the ambiance, they can just hop in the truck head on over to a new restaurant in a new neighborhood!

Check out The New York Post video here.

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David Ciminelli

Los Angeles-based journalist David Ciminelli has covered everything from high-profile Lexus and Toyota reveals to reality TV show competitions focusing on custom automotive mods. He considers the "Droptops & Dirt" event in Malibu, “Luftgekühlt” and Sunset GT among his favorite automotive events to cover.

He has also interviewed artists like Megadeth and Jennifer Lopez, handled red carpet interviews at the MTV VMAs, and covered rock icons Rush getting a star on Hollywood Boulevard for media including The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, Out Magazine, IN Los Angeles and more. His byline has also appeared in Billboard, Ad Week, Backstage and Art Voice.

Currently, David contributes to over a dozen automotive websites, including Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Club Lexus, Rennlist, Chevrolet Forum, Corvette Forum, Team Speed and Harley-Davidson Forums.