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COVID-19 dining room restrictions are eliminating hospitality practices that consumers have come to love

Restaurant traditions are disappearing across all sectors but some brands are coming up with solutions.

Nancy Luna, Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

May 21, 2020

6 Slides
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The good news: restaurant dining rooms are starting to reopen.

The bad news: COVID-19 restrictions for dine-in operations are forcing restaurant chains and independent concepts to eliminate hospitality practices that make eating out enjoyable.  

Over the past few weeks, states, local jurisdictions, the National Restaurant Association and the Food and Drug Administration have released a laundry list of guidelines for restaurants to consider when reopening dining rooms. Some suggestions are broad, while others spell out unacceptable practices that erase years of tradition in the industry – from closing off self-serve soda and salsa bars to eliminating place settings at white table cloth restaurants.  

For some, entire business models have been upended -- like dim sum restaurants and buffet chains.

Guidelines vary across the United States, but we’ve highlighted some of the common restaurant practices that are disappearing as America begins to reopen. But some restaurants are adapting and evolving by coming up with solutions to keep everyone safe, while maintaining their brand’s ethos. Take a look.

Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected] 

Follow her on Twitter: @fastfoodmaven

About the Author

Nancy Luna

Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Nancy Luna is a senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News and a contributing editor at Supermarket News. She covers the industry's largest and most talked about fast-food brands including McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years reporting experience. As a veteran business reporter based in Southern California, Nancy has covered some of the country's most beloved food and retail brands including In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Trader Joe's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, Target and Costco. Luna is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. When she's not digging for news on her beat, you can find Nancy regaling her fans about her latest dining adventures on her Fast Food Maven social media channels. Contact [email protected]  or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fastfoodmaven

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