Here are six ways dining out is now different as NC restaurants reopen amid pandemic
As the staff of Raleigh barbecue restaurant The Pit practiced a mock service last week, one table was a problem.
The table was legal by social distancing standards requiring six feet of spacing between tables and North Carolina’s 50% capacity limit for restaurants. But it didn’t fit, owner Greg Hatem said. Moving around it was awkward and always felt too close for comfort. So they took it out, scraping the money for safety, Hatem said.
One thing about the new normal is that it’s constantly new and it changes before it ever feels normal.
Last weekend, North Carolina allowed restaurants and brewery taprooms to reopen at 50% capacity as the state moved into Phase Two of its coronavirus recovery plan. Most restaurants remained closed or stuck to takeout through that first weekend, but some are now considering how to adapt service and reopen.
One is the Pit in Raleigh, which Hatem expected to open Wednesday. It will be only one of Hatem’s half-dozen Raleigh restaurants to reopen initially, but he expects to open the others one at a time.
“Certainly we’re going to reopen, but we’re not in any huge rush,” Hatem said. “The responsibility is resting on restaurants to follow smart procedures.”
Hatem and other restaurant owners are changing what it means to serve lunch and dinner and after work drinks. He said he held the mock services because it was like learning new dance steps and habits. That takes time, he said.
“It wouldn’t be prudent to open all shifts in all restaurants all at once,” Hatem said.
As North Carolina moved into Phase Two and people returned to restaurants, there was a clear excitement in dining rooms, along with some anxiety.
“It was nice to hear the noise of the cocktail shaker,” said Coleen Speaks, who owns the restaurant Hummingbird in Raleigh. “It’s baby steps at this point, and we have a long way to go.”
Sup Dogs, one of the busiest joints on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, plans to reopen on Thursday for lunch. Owner Bret Oliverio said the industry can’t withstand any setbacks from here on, but that if it can keep open without any spikes from the virus, calmer seas are on the horizon. Oliverio preferred a video game analogy.
“This virus is the end boss,” Oliverio said. “If you can find a way to beat this, nothing else is going to stop you from operating and being successful. This is the ultimate test.”
Here are some of the new features and procedures you’re likely to find if you eat out in North Carolina in the next month:
Masks
Under its Phase Two guidelines, North Carolina isn’t requiring masks or face coverings, but many restaurants are. It’s likely that servers and bartenders will be wearing masks throughout their shifts. Some restaurants are asking customers to use masks as well. At Hummingbird, Speaks said guests are asked to wear a mask if they go to the bathroom. At Bond Brothers Beer Company in Cary, which reopened over the weekend, you have to have a mask to order a beer from the bar.
“It just shows how much has changed,” Hatem said, noting that employees at his resturants would have masks on. “A year ago, it would be strange to see a server wearing a mask in a restaurant. Now I would be upset if they didn’t do it. I would expect it.”
Contactless ordering
You’re going to spend more time on your phone if you go out for dinner.
Throughout the pivot to takeout, restaurants have relied on apps and websites for online ordering, so customers can choose what they want, select a pickup time, leave a tip and never interact with a person. Look for that to continue and expand for dine-in service. At Hummingbird, Speaks said customers had to order online or they couldn’t be served.
“That allows for less contact,” Speaks said. “If they wanted to order a second round, they had to go back through the online ordering system to do it. It’s not ideal, but it’s safe.”
Raleigh Beer Garden uses QR codes at tables, and other restaurants expect to add online ordering. Hatem expects it to expand quickly through the industry.
“It’s stunning that it doesn’t really exist,” he said. “We just haven’t made it a priority in the way other countries have. We will have that very shortly. It’s the safest thing for you to do.”
Outdoor seating
Public health officials have said that the coronavirus spreads more easily in confined, indoor spaces, rather than outdoors. Some restaurants are emphasizing outdoor patio seating right now or only opening up their outdoor tables for service.
“We’re getting creative with our outdoor seating,” Oliverio said. “People feel safer sitting outdoors, so the more outdoor tables the better.”
Raleigh and Chapel Hill are currently considering expanding outdoor seating for restaurants into public spaces. There’s currently a bill in the NC General Assembly that would allow restaurants to expand outdoor seating to 50% of their capacity.
Single use everything
The salsa bottles at La Vaquita in Durham aren’t communal anymore. Each order comes with red and green salsa in small plastic containers.
Restaurants of all kinds will use more disposable products and containers. Ketchup packets, silverware packs, takeout boxes, that’s how meals will be served. It will be a long time before bar peanuts make a comeback.
At The Pit, the sauce bottles are off the table.
“We’re not reusing anything,” Hatem said. “We’re removing everything from the table, putting sauces in disposable ramekins, using disposable condiments, paper menus, chalkboards. We’re working to eliminate touchpoints.”
Takeout here to stay
Many restaurants plan to continue focusing on takeout until North Carolina opens up dining rooms at full capacity, or until they find more comforting numbers in the state’s testing counts. Even restaurants that have reopened plan to rely on takeout for the foreseeable future.
“The reason we worked so hard on delivery and takeout is we wanted to create some normalcy in the community,” Hatem said. “That’s the real victory in it. We’re not very profitable. And until you can truly open all the way back up, you’re not going to be. It will help the bottom line, but it won’t fix the bottom line.”
Click here for our list of restaurants offering takeout.
Busing your own table
The less touching, the better. So restaurants are asking guests to bus their own tables, designating bins and carts where dishes and glasses can be collected and taken to the dishroom for washing and sanitation. It’s the same system coffee shops have used for years, but will now be in more restaurants and brewpubs.
“It’s kind of the opposite of what we believe in the hospitality industry, but we have busing stations for guests,” Speaks said. “Robots would be cool if I could afford robots.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Here are six ways dining out is now different as NC restaurants reopen amid pandemic."
