By Gretchen Williams, Dining and Cuisine Writer
In Amsterdam, restaurant tables are perched next to the canals and enclosed in clear glass greenhouses, traditionally used to grow plants. In Connecticut, clear plastic igloos protect diners at an outdoor restaurant. In Vilnius, Lithuania, the entire capital city is being turned into an open air cafe, allowing restaurants to set up tables free of charge on sidewalks. Some streets have been closed to accommodate social distancing.
The weeks of safer-at-home combined with the coming of warm weather have made the desire for normal life to resume all the more acute. We miss each other, we miss the welcoming embrace of our favorite restaurant, we miss the social contacts and the great service and we miss the food. All over the world, restaurants are changing and adapting, hoping to survive the current crisis. Discouraging figures estimate the demise of over 25 percent of restaurants in the United States with a loss of many jobs. As the restaurant industry evolves, so will the way we behave at restaurants. Our expectations, our needs and our willingness to accept changes will determine the success of the new restaurant scene.
Timing is everything, and San Pedro’s timing was good for making the new face of restaurants in town open and welcoming again. With Little Italy as its model, the proposal on the table at the city right now is to give San Pedro restaurants the opportunity to stretch dining into the streets and plazas of downtown and to allow sidewalk dining all over town. California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom has given the go ahead for other areas of the state to open for restaurant service, but Los Angeles County does not meet the criteria for opening yet. Many restaurants in town are still offering full menus of takeout cuisine, with delivery or pickup options and are poised to re-open for full service when allowed to do so.
What Restaurants Look and Feel Like After the Safer-At-Home Order Ends?
The restaurant is restorative, meant to be good for the body and the mind, but added stress and fear of exposure make that initial trip to our favorite spot tough. Restaurateurs are also hesitant, for many of the same reasons. The process of dining out will show some changes, some temporary and some destined to stay. In preparation, the standard of protection is also incumbent on the diner to be responsible, using hand sanitizer, wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.
What Will Happen When You Go to a Restaurant?
The place will look different, with fewer tables, spread further apart. More outdoor dining will be offered and reservations may be required to allow for thorough cleaning between patrons. Bars, breweries and wineries will be allowed to open if food is also served, but the close quarters of the bar or lounge will be discouraged at the beginning. New strategies will be needed to give restaurants the ability to provide service and good food as well as keep the dining public safe. The host may offer a paper menu or a slate of menu items to read from or even a menu email sent with the reservation confirmation. The wait staff will be wearing masks and using techniques to minimize direct contact, like patrons ordering through the restaurant’s website and using cards to pay the tab instead of paper checks and paper money.
The table top will look bare, as common items like the salt and pepper shakers will be replaced by individual packets, as will ketchup and mustard and other condiments. Disposable items will be used exclusively at first, with flatware always prepackaged and paper and plastic ware used when possible. Buffets are out, as are things like table side service for dishes like Caesar salad or guacamole. Smaller menus with fewer options will give the restaurateur more leeway to deal with supply chain issues and shortages. More efficient table bussing and trash removal will also be made contactless, with disposable tableware going directly into sealed trash.
Some restaurateurs are contemplating the elimination of air conditioning — thought to be a vector in virus transmission — instead opening windows and doors to encourage natural air flow. Even the restrooms will look different, with hand dryers disabled and replaced with individual paper towels. Restroom visits may even be accompanied by waitstaff, to ensure restrooms are empty of other patrons and appropriately sanitized in between visits. The size of restaurant parties may be limited, with large restaurant parties eliminated for the duration.
Life is challenging now and where we used to plan our activities weeks in advance, the present takes on new importance. All of us face the future looking over masks as the new normal. Small accommodations will allow us to take up our regular activities and restaurant dining will make life seem familiar again. Vital to our social, physical and financial health in many ways, our restaurant community here in the Harbor Area is precious to our way of life. Our restaurants deserve our support and continue to offer delicious drinks and dishes, even in the face of crisis.