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

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