The Future Of Pandemic Restaurant Design

[brooklynite]

Zagat

According to the Zagat Future of Dining Study, 84 percent of people said they’d be less likely to visit a restaurant right when it reopens if it’s operating at full capacity. So what’s most important for restaurants is that they’re able to act quickly and create a separate takeout experience. Simply based on floor plan and space, they might not be able to build out a completely separate environment for each experience, but there should be something distinct in the customer journey, whether it’s dine-in, takeout, or curbside.

The restaurateur and operator need to think about how everyone can plan for their experience. For example, I ordered Alinea’s 15th anniversary six-course dinner at home. I ordered online and selected a pickup time, and in the confirmation email it was very clear as to how and where exactly you should pull up, put your window down, and line up—it’s a well-oiled machine. What they’re doing is taking the choreography from the interior dining experience that a restaurant like Alinea is known for, and really extend the experience to the car.

As far as outdoor seating in inclement weather, we think, “Okay, so we’ll just create a tank outdoors.” But you’re creating another indoor environment with the heat. There can be a place for that apres-ski-like environment to a certain degree, where it’s not going to be below-zero, and people have more heaters outside and it’s more temperate.

The most important thing from an operational perspective is that there needs to be a different head of operations running each of these customer journeys. You can’t have takeout overlapping where the pickup and check-in areas are—they should be more distinct.

Revolving doors are a big congestion point. It should be very clear to the customer that, for instance, the revolving door is the only way in, while the way out is the ADA door. There are beautiful, elegant ways that are not expensive to implement directional signage in line with the brand—signage that’s movable.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. I happen to live in Santa Fe, NM, and eating outside nine months of the year

is realistic. I know it's not true in a lot of other places.

I've only eaten out in a patio since this all began. At this point I can't begin to imagine when I'll be willing to eat inside. Luckily for me I'm a decent cook. Well, I happen to like my own cooking, which is what matters. I'm also content with a certain amount of carry-out, and even though I miss going out to restaurants, as I used to do two to four times a week, this is not so bad. I have noticed how much money I'm saving, which is a huge benefit.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. It's not going to work in Minneapolis from October through April most years

unless you don't mind eating in sleet, snow and wind. The patio tables at the restaurants that have a space for them don't usually show up until sometime in May and disappear in September. I think we'll be doing takeout only for most of the year, since we have only 4-5 good months for eating outdoors. I used to eat out a lot and I miss it, but I'm saving a lot of money by cooking at home.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Right. Much of the country has only a very few months suitable for eating outside.

Lucky me, I already liked to cook and had a decent repertoire of meals to make. I have been saving a ton of money, which is nice. My bank account is grateful.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. I was surprised at how much money I'd been spending at restaurants

now that I'm not doing that. I guess that's something, but there are a couple of places and meals that I really do miss. I don't even trust take-out yet.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. I think a lot of us didn't really appreciate how much we'd been spending.

Personally, I really miss Geeks Who Drink. I hope it returns eventually, but my best guess is at least two years. Regular indoor dining will be safe long before Geeks Who Drink. Sigh.

Take out is really not a problem. For one thing, there's almost zero evidence it's carried on food.

I am honestly surprised at the people here who say they do all of their grocery shopping through one of the services, and I keep on thinking, Why? You are simply introducing at least one more person handling your stuff than if you went to the store, wore a mask, knew what you wanted, and were in and out in 20 minutes or so. Same with having restaurant or fast food delivered. Going to get curbside pick-up yourself eliminates at least one intermediary person.

Same with the people who feel they need to take off all their clothes before re-entering their home. So okay, if you work at a hospital and especially if you are treating Covid-19 patients, that would make sense. But if you simply work at a grocery store? You are probably not at all covered with the virus, and it simply doesn't survive very long on things like your clothing.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I have my groceries delivered, but mostly for reasons other than the virus.

The first is sloth. It's nice not to have to go out; I've never liked shopping anyhow, and I have one more excuse since I broke a toe and it kind of hurts to walk around a lot. The issue with stores in any event is not how many other people touch your groceries but how many other people are in the store, possibly maskless, to breathe on you.

The second reason is that I've been dieting since January, and if I don't go to the store I'm not tempted to buy things I shouldn't eat. I have lost 30 lbs. because there's nothing in the house that's not on my diet. I don't worry much about contaminated surfaces except maybe those that get touched frequently, and I'm definitely not taking my clothes off and washing them after every time I leave the house.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. Oh, okay.

I need always to remember that we are all different.

For me, being disciplined when I go to the store and not buying things I shouldn't just isn't an issue. '

I haven't lost weight, although I would like to. Nor have I gained weight.

At the very beginning of all this, from March first through the eighteenth, I was on a cruise to Hawaii. I was very aware that most people thought they needed to get their money's worth and so ate and ate and ate on a cruise. I did NOT want to gain weight, so I was very circumspect in my eating.

Oh, and it was a great cruise. We'd have been among the last tourists allowed there. I am so very glad I did it. The cruise was a 70th birthday present to myself, delayed by well over a year. Only my second cruise, and I'd love to go on many more, but who knows now?

[moonscape]

16. My precautions have changed. I never worried about my shoes

because I don't wear them in the house anyway, but was careful with packages and the possibility of transmission from surfaces. Don't worry about that much now, though of course wash my hands.

I had one grocery delivery then started curbside. Have not been in a store since the first week in March, but I'm pretty high risk (active chemo, age) and worry about the airborne part and masks being helpful but not enough security.

Would dearly love to do a quick store run though, picking what I wanted. With curbside it's fine, but one missing ingredient or two and the dish I wanted to make is a bust. If in the store, I could easily switch gears. Mostly it's okay, and honestly such a minor thing. I think of my parents separated during WWII, my father in hiding in a cellar for 1.5 years, parents being reunited and escaping. And I think: I'm whining about culinary ingredients? Really?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

18. I do go to stores. Always wear a mask.

I'm semi- high risk, as I'm 71, but I have zero health issues.

I am shopping differently from the way I used to, mainly in that when I do go to a store I'm inclined to stock up on stuff. The real, and really annoying thing for me, is that I'll be out of some one ingredient that I want. In the past, making a quick run to get that ingredient was no big deal. Now, I think about it. I do try to plan ahead, but since I prefer to use fresh ingredients, I do end up going to the grocery store more than is probably optimal.

That said, I'm still eating very much as I used to, just that 90% of my meals are at home, rather than from a restaurant.

[misanthrope]

5. On the Gulf Coast

it is the lengthy, muggy summer that is the issue. Six months or so when you can't eat outside without pools of sweat gathering underneath you or being carried away by mosquitoes.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Today it was 78 degrees and sunny, 60% humidity, slight breeze -

it would have been a perfect day for a nice dinner at an outdoor restaurant. But I can sit on my deck and eat a ham sandwich, so that isn't too bad either. There are mosquitoes after dark, though.

[brush]

3. The industry is going to shrink as most of venues money is made on...

weekends with packed houses and no social distancing. Most places just don't have the physical space to do that.

The future does not bode well for them. And who knows when a reliable vaccine will come?

[PufPuf23]

8. Plexiglass booths and model railroad trains for indoor restaurant.

Of course, the booths are climate controlled.

Travel from the front door / outside would be in sanitized plexiglass boxes on tracks and a sealed transfer to the eating and seating booths.

[Initech]

12. And how are small mom and pop restaurants expected to pay for this?

[PufPuf23]

13. Granted my post is somewhat facetious and tailored

to the author of the OP.

I do not expect many small mom and pop restaurants to survive unfortunately especially if they are in half way desirable real estate under more normal situations.

[Initech]

11. This pandemic is not going to last forever!

I know restaurants have to plan around this because everything sucks right now. But this pandemic is not going to last forever. Even the worst pandemic in history only lasted 18 months. There's no way COVID will last longer than that. I think making permanent plans right now without knowing the future is a bit worrysome.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

15. In the past, immunity has been a positive thing.

If you get the disease in question and recover, you're immune forever. It's possible that with this you are not. And even if you are, the evidence that those who get it and recover still have severe, long-lasting health issues, is something not seen before. If even a small percentage of the population now needs on-going care, that will severely impact our entire society.

Here's what I've been saying. Imagine it's the spring of 1939 and you and I are planning a trip to Europe next year. It's going to be fabulous. We'll hit all the major capitols, London, Paris, Rome, Madrid, and lots of places inbetween. We've been planning and saving for several years now, and are so much looking forward to this trip.

But then September rolls around. WWII breaks out. Clearly we are not going to Europe next year. We really, really hope this war won't last very long and we can take our trip in 1941.

But the war does last. For six long years. It finally ends in 1945. The soonest we might possibly take that long-postponed trip is 1946. Maybe a year or two after. And when we finally get there, the Europe we will see will be almost incomprehensibly changed from the Europe of 1939.

And so it's going to be with this. This pandemic is going to last a lot longer than people think, and will make profound changes that we can't even begin to guess at right now. Already we are seeing changes in this country with the tearing down of Confederate monuments. That is truly a huge change, and it's only a start. The entire Black Lives Matter movement is also bringing about profound changes that are needed.

Health care, the cost of college, a secure income, these are things that are going to be in the forefront in the future.

By 2025 we'll be in a world that no one in 2019 could have begun to imagine or predict.

[Rstrstx]

17. One thing for sure, virus-killing filters for commercial HVAC units will be everywhere

If not mandatory. It's too soon to know yet what the long term effects will be on restaurants and other places like hotels, gyms and bars but that one's a no-brainer, they're not that expensive and make sense. Home Depot is already displaying one for home HVACs.

[smirkymonkey]

19. A friend took me out to dinner tonight for my birthday and it was the first time I had

been out to a restaurant since this whole thing started. We went to a neighborhood Thai restaurant on the main street in my neighborhood, but they had cleared out the whole front of the restaurant for deliveries only (they have been around for about 40 years and do quite a good business - great food and very reasonably priced).

The back room was set up with tables and we were the only customers and every employee had masks on. We wore our masks as well, but took them off while eating, but again, we were in a huge room by ourselves. It was nice to get out for a little while and it felt pretty low risk.

Everyone on the street was masked as well and all the shops had signs in the windows requiring masks to enter. So far, I haven't heard of any local businesses having a problem. Everyone seems to be cooperating, which is probably why our caseload has been going way down, along with deaths in the city/county/state.

I'm a little nervous about going back to work on Aug 3rd, but we only have to go in on alternating weeks and I still get my regular wfh Fridays. So only about 8 days per month in the office until further notice. I have a feeling this is going to pick up again, so we'll see how it goes. I'm just glad some of these places have been able to stay in business.