Surprisingly unique Ways Restaurants Have Enforced Social Distancing

June 25th, 2020 / Source: The Bizz USA
By Haarika Kalahasti

          Restaurants have opened in multiple locations in the USA for a couple of weeks now. And surely, we’ve all seen some interesting and very creative ways business owners made an effort to enforce social distancing protocols. For instance, Burger King in Italy, a country that has been immensely affected by COVID-19, has opened a new menu item last month--The social distancing whopper. This whopper is still juicy and delicious, but instead of having one onion, this whopper contains three! According to Burger King and its team, the excess of onions would make the customers in the shop want to stay at least 6 feet away from another because of the pungent breath they will get from devouring the burger! Whether it had that effect or not, Burger King has also implemented another strategy in Germany! They debuted a life-size “social distancing crowns,” which are ENORMOUS, to encourage customers to stay far from each other. 

Image via Eater DC.

     
     Not too far, in the Netherlands, a restaurant called Mediamatic Eten had installed “separated greenhouses” along their waterfront, to allow for social distancing.  According to Insider Magazine, the waiters wore “face shields” when serving their customers to ensure the highest level of social distancing. Although this may be too extreme, many who have been to the restaurant have said the view and the food was definitely worth it. 

       Yet another odd practice, in the United States, is at none other than Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. Like many restaurants in the United States, the Inn at Little Washington redesigned their restaurant to fit the social distancing protocols. Some have decided to move tables farther apart, but Inn at Little Washington went a step further and put Mannequins in their seats. I’m not sure if the Michelin Star Restaurant & their team wanted to purposefully scare off guests or just wanted to fill in space. 

---

          Regardless of their different strategies, restaurants across the world are making changes to their style, menu, and practices to adjust to the social distancing protocols. Whether it is putting a mannequin or a stuffed animal in seats or introducing a new menu item, restaurants seemingly are ready to have their restaurants be back into the business.