Restaurants are reopening - how will coronavirus change them?

Restaurants are reopening - how will coronavirus change them?

It’s a conversation many of us have savoured during lockdown: where are we going to eat, and what are we going to eat, when restaurants eventually open their doors? Finally, that date is in sight, with Boris Johnson confirming on 23 June that businesses within the hospitality industry can reopen again from Saturday 4 July. 

There will, however, be considerable restrictions in place: the two-metre distancing rule will be relaxed to one, with some "mitigating" factors, being dubbed '1m-plus'. Customers will be able to sit closer together than first imagined (which will come as some relief to restaurant owners), but only if measures such as back-to-back seating, perspex screens, partitions between tables, disposable menus and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces are put in place.

In his address on June 23, Boris Johnson said that "our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end," but stressed that the data will continue to be monitored as the virus hasn't gone away. It's a move that will allow restaurants to widen their operations beyond the takeaway services that many around the country have adopted, but customers can expect to see significant changes at their favourite haunts. 

Read more: Best restaurants with large gardens for outdoor dining

What will restaurants look like post-lockdown?

Right from the offset, restaurants have been asked to consider the impact of coronavirus, starting with customers' transportation to the place. Venues have been asked to work with local authorities and neighbouring areas to consider creating additional car parking spaces or bike racks so people can travel to them without using public transport if they can. 

Once there, guidelines around queues include managing the length to make sure it doesn't disrupt nearby businesses and having staff direct customers on how best to formulate an orderly line. 

As customers enter the premises, there should be clear signage on keeping hygiene a priority - signs which remind people to wash their hands and keep their distance should be hung up, or played by audio, or even sent to people's mobile phones. People should also be reminded that they can only come to restaurants with their own household, or with one other household if they're indoors. 

Inside the restaurants will be where people may see the most drastic of changes. No live performances of any kind are permitted for now. Any play areas for children should be closed. No more propping up the bar or ordering at the till; instead, only table service will be permitted, and the Government will ask staff to limit contact between staff and customers. Waiters will be required to wipe down surfaces more often and collect glasses and plates more frequently. Guidelines also recommend a one way system for places which cannot create a distance between people. 

Contactless payments will be encouraged and some places may well use disposable condiments, which would otherwise need cleaning in between every use. 

Even with the relaxation of the two-metre rule, the number of people allowed in enclosed spaces will be reduced. Staggering entry times has also been suggested in order to reduce the numbers. Enabling returning customers to eat in the dining room is welcome news, says Mike Foalks, landlord of The Crown Inn in Weston, but indoor dining poses "another set of challenges", he admits. 

Restaurants around the world have already resumed operations: last month, restaurants, bars and cafes in Italy reopened for the first time in months, as did those in Switzerland and Poland. Regulations in these countries prevent restaurants from opening at full capacity, and reports suggest that even with strict measures in place (no more than four people can sit at a table, and groups must sit two metres apart), it may be some time before the public feel truly comfortable dining out again.

Businesses in the UK will also be asked to collect contact details from customers, as is currently the case in several other countries, in order to aid track and trace should cases emerge.

Customers wear protective face masks at a table in the outdoor terrace of a cafe in Piazza Navona in Rome Credit:  Bloomberg

Chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton, who owns restaurants in Dubai, Shanghai and St Moritz as well as his acclaimed Social Company restaurants in London is in the process of finding a feasible solution for his London locations.

“In Shanghai, both the restaurant and bar area are very busy. We’ve spaced the tables out and staff wear face masks, but social distancing is very different there,” Atherton explains, having witnessed high numbers of people returning to communal areas (and where the distance permitted is 1.5m).

In London he has nine restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social. "The big disadvantage of having a restaurant in London is space: the cost of the rent per square foot means that, usually, a restaurant needs to be at 75 per cent capacity to make any profit. Pollen Street Social can seat just over 70 tables. To allow for social distancing, I’ve taken that down to 36.”

Second sittings will be essential: “In order to break even, we need to serve 45 tables during lunch service and 76 tables for dinner – assuming the spend per head will remain the same.

Balancing the safety of customers and staff with the need to run a profitable business, Atherton plans to create disposable menus, provide hot towels and sanitising stations, send virtual wine lists to those who have booked to allow them to select a bottle, and rearrange the kitchen to enable chefs to work back-to-back, rather than side-by-side.

Chefs will wear face masks and plastic gloves, and the number of waiting staff on the floor will be reduced to reduce the number of people in the building. Across his international restaurant collection, he says, the approach will be determined “country by country, to see what seems to be working and what isn’t.” 

Registering and social bubbles

Those visiting restaurants will now need to register, details of which the venue will keep for 21 days in case an outbreak occurs and they need to contact those who have visited. 

People should only visit a restaurant in their household groups - or support bubbles - or with one other household, according to the new rules. Alternatively, they can visit outdoors with up to five other people (six in total). 

Fewer tables

Space isn’t a problem for some. Shaun Rankin, head chef at Grantley Hall in the Yorkshire Dales, admits that preparing to open his restaurant in the grand country house hotel may be simpler than others, since it is “already very spacious, with enough room between the tables. If I have to remove one or two tables then so be it.” Rankin hopes to open his restaurant at a slightly reduced capacity when permitted. 

But for other restaurateurs, opening at reduced capacity isn’t an option. James Cochran, chef and owner of Restaurant 12:51 in London, usually seats 11 tables. Under the original two-metre social distancing measures, this would reduce to five. Under those conditions, he explains, "opening 12:51 wouldn't have been financially viable. Even so, we’re still thinking about what we can do to ensure the safety of our customers and staff when we do reopen, including a installing a sink by the entrance for diners to wash their hands in upon entry and plastic shields for staff. Card machines will be a thing of the past – we will be using a system whereby customers pay on their phones through our website, reducing contact with our staff.” 

Outdoor eating

Al fresco food stalls and relaxed Sunday trading laws are both under consideration for restaurants and cafes, allowing restaurants to make use of public squares and open spaces. The tapas chain Iberica, with branches in London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow, is hopeful the outdoor seating spaces at its various restaurants will provide a safe place for diners this summer, and the business is currently in talks with landlords and local councils to expand the space they occupy. Ideal for a relatively small number of restaurants, bars and cafes, but compromised by the British weather. 

“We are based in an open-air market so safe distancing measures are easier to put in place,” says Elizabeth Haigh, owner of the Singaporean restaurant Mei Mei, situated in Borough Market. Haigh has, for now, adapted her business to sell a range of condiments, teas and spice mixes, with plans to begin offering a takeaway service soon. 

Despite the additional space of the market, she is reluctant to consider outdoor seating due to distancing concerns. Haigh has also developed a ‘Mei Mei Bakery’ concept during lockdown, offering Singaporean baked goods for customers to grab and go. 

Keeping staff safe

The government have suggested all rules apply to staff regarding hygiene - and timings of when shifts begin should be staggered to make sure the number of people is as low as they can be. If possible, more ways into the venue would be ideal so staff can come in separately and not over-congest entrances where customers are queuing. 

Staff should change their uniform on-site and for those who have roles which mean they need to remain in one place, such as a cashier, their zone should be socially distanced from those making their way around the venue. In some cases, front of house staff might even need to be behind a plexi-glass barrier. 

Kitchen staff shouldn't mingle with each other in their breaks to reduce the risk of transmission and only one person at a time should access areas such as walk in pantrys, freezers and fridges. 

To help those cleaning the restaurant, doors should be wedged open so they don't need to touch handles as often and the guidelines also recommend everything to be wiped down in between customer usage for the safety of visitors and staff, such as laminated menus and card readers. 

Chain reactions

Such is the ability of independent restaurants to adapt and innovate, but how will larger chains reopen – if they reopen at all? With often larger spaces to deal with, different ordering and payment systems, refilling stations for drinks and cutlery, chains may struggle to convince customers that they are a safe space. 

Indeed, some chains have already announced closures and job losses as a result of the pandemic. Already 6,000 jobs are in danger at Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge after owners gave notice of intent to appoint administrators, and 61 of the 80 branches of Tex-Mex chain Chiquitos will be closing permanently. 

Though many chains are waiting for Government advice to be issued before putting plans in place (Honest Burger has said is reluctant to make provisions for the future until it receives more information from the Government, and though Nandos has reopened 216 restaurants for takeaway, its eat-in facilities will be remaining closed), some are cautiously considering how they might allow customers to eat in. “Our plans involve extensive site-specific risk assessments with measures likely to include card or contactless payment only, restricted capacity and dwell times, and enhanced sanitising and cleaning services,” says Gavin Adair, the chief executive of Rosa’s Thai Cafe, which has 19 restaurants across London, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. 

Similarly, healthy fast food chain LEON, which has remained open for takeaway throughout the lockdown and has dedicated four restaurants to serving NHS staff, is planning measures including table spacing, floor markers to indicate where diners can queue safely, cashless payment and a reduced menu to accommodate fewer chefs in the kitchens. 

Leon plans to space out tables, manage queues and reduce its menu Credit: PA

Will customers return?

Despite the uncertainty over official advice, and fears about whether the public will feel safe eating out in the near future, restaurateurs remain optimistic that the hospitality industry will survive – in whatever form that may be.

“As an industry we have to work hard to present solutions rather than being part of the problem,” says chef Ravinder Bhogal, owner of Jikoni in London. Bhogal plans to reopen her restaurant with a shorter menu to accommodate a re-engineered rota, staggering hours of chefs and waiting staff to allow them to travel at off-peak times on public transport. She has also just launched her takeaway service, 'Comfort and Joy by Jikoni', delivering delicious vegetarian meals in the local area. “Sometimes it is our greatest challenges that bring out our best, and we are hoping for a brighter future - but this will only be possible with more support from the Government and our landlords.” 

“I don’t think we’ll get back to normal for a while,” admits Atherton, “but we will survive. The model will change, for sure; it’s going to be a minefield for a while, but we’re going to have to work through it together, and take things as they come.” 

Will you book a table at your local restaurant when it reopens? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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