The length of time “stay at home” orders last will probably turn out to be directly proportional to the percentage of restaurants that go out of business.
As states and cities begin to transition to a new normal, what will restaurants need to do to bring their customers back? There is no way most people are rushing to their favorite local eatery for a meal the day the all clear is announced. Talk of disposable paper menus, with waitstaff in masks and gloves, doesn’t sound particularly inviting if you’re interested in a nice meal at an upscale steakhouse.
What accommodations will need to be instituted to bring you back into the fold?
I’m not all that interested in eating in a restaurant right now. I’m a decent cook, there’s too much we don’t know about transmission and we have a large number of tourists that come through which could be a new source of infection (so far, our infection rates haven’t been high, but again, it’s not a closed system.)
For us, eating out is a fun activity, not a necessity. And I wouldn’t find it fun or comfortable to eat out in most places right now.
Over time, after watching what happens with the re-openings, I might feel comfy trying a few of the places with outdoor seating that’s far apart and the private club we belong to because I’d trust the membership will make sure it’s as safe as possible. But for now, I’m going to keep cooking at home.
When there is more data about the exact mechanisms of transmission (distance, type, etc) and a widespread testing/quarantine program I’d be much more open to eating in a restaurant. We’re not there yet.
We’re still ordering takeout once a week from our two favorite local places and tipping big to hope they survive. Around here, even if the SAH is legally lifted tomorrow, I’d guess at least 30% of the restaurants won’t survive. Too much damage already done and (I’m guessing) too few customers once the SAH is lifted because there is so little information and no national testing or tracking.
We actually tend to eat only at super fancy restaurants for very high end meals where tables are very far apart. Next anniversary is in August. We might be ready by then. In the meantime all the local places where we eat occasionally? I’m happy to stick with take out. Until anyone who wants a test can get one, I’m wearing a mask in public, which is not exactly conducive to restaurant eating.
We’ll “let Mikey try it” first. We’re good cooks and in zero hurry to hit any restaurants regardless of who decides when to open. If we didn’t enter a restaurant for another year that wouldn’t surprise me.
Right now, there is not enough information to make a truly informed decision based on your risk tolerance, although some will assume either a worst case or best case scenario that may fit the currently incomplete information.
The future may improve knowledge in these areas, or knowledge in medical care that can reduce the chance of a bad outcome. So it may be possible to make a better decision later.
Of course, if everyone else is afraid to go to a restaurant that you like, it may not be too risky to go to it when there is no one there. Maybe even eat there if they wipe down the table and chairs with soap.
As soon as it re-opens, I will be at my neighborhood Mexican joint. I miss the staff, the owner and the food is much better there than as takeout. They are going to need the business.
For similar reasons, I will go my local bar.
I won’t need any accommodations and I will eat and drink without fear.
I’ve eaten in some very fancy establishments, but I’m struggling to remember any that have tables that are 6+ feet apart. One of the most expensive meals I’ve had was at The Inn at Little Washington. Their tables were quite close. My wife and I had wonderful conversation with the couple next to us.
@milee30 Eating outside will definitely be one of the mitigating measures that restaurants may employ. Sadly, there are parts of the country where outdoor dining has a relatively small window of opportunity.
Mr and I are both horrible cooks and eating out is one of our few splurges. We eat out or have takeout way more than we eat at home.
We’re still getting take out multiple times a week and tipping like we were eating in. It’s been depressing to see our options slowly dwindling.
That said, I can’t see eating inside a restaurant until at least next year. The way I would reevaluate this is if there turned out to be an effective treatment that hit the market.
We’ll be first in line for our favorite places. The wine will kill the virus, right??I stink as a cook, likely that will get us sick before the virus does.
The Inn at Little Washington definitely qualifies as fancy, but I haven’t eaten there. One issue with the fancy places is you have so many servers/waiters/professionals coming to the table.
I would love to eat at my favorite Mexican joint, but the owner died and his son is in the ICU.
The article on the documented transmission at a restaurant in China actually made me think it would be very possible to put in place certain things that would make it fairly safe to eat in a restaurant. The transmission was only from one table to another close one in direct air flow line. No one at any other table tested positive. Could certain air filters or more spacing solve the problem? Seems likely that there could be a solution based on this.
We order take out all the time and continue to do so. And more restaurants are adapting to the current environment. Face masks, shields, gloves, no one is allowed inside the restaurant, hand sanitizer on arrival and departure, no cash transactions, only you insert the credit card, online ordering only, etc.
A much more significant effort will be needed for sitting down and eating, but a start would be industrial-sized air purifiers at every table maybe?
We take out 3-4 times a week before covid and now. Usually from the same restaurants that we would go for a sit down dinner. I really enjoy going out to lunch with coworkers and dinner with friends and family. I hope to be able to do that again soon. That’s the one thing I miss the most about lockdown, to enjoy fine food with friends. I lost 7 lbs since lockdown, I don’t enjoy eating any more.
