As more and more states open up, we're all being faced with a prospect we haven't had in months: Going to a restaurant. In my life before COVID-19 and socially isolating, I went out to eat a few times a week—it's basically part of my job—but now, somehow, the concept already seems so strange to me. I recently went out to eat again, and it was nice to get a slice of normalcy, but...things still aren't "normal."
I have been very cautious since the pandemic hit the U.S., but when a friend said she wanted to meet up in Greensboro, NC, I decided to take the leap. I looked up restaurants where we could dine-in, and we decided on the Green Valley Grill next to O.Henry Hotel and Friendly Center.
When I first arrived, it was pretty crowded, and because I hadn't been around people in a while besides the occasional grocery store visit, I kind of had a moment realizing that things still aren't "normal." I found myself wondering why so many people were there and realized—wait, I'm part of that too. I finally found a parking spot, grabbed my face shield and mask and headed in.
When I got to the restaurant, they had someone waiting outside holding the door closed and, as I later learned, controlling how many people could enter the waiting area at once. Once I went into the lobby, I saw a group of people waiting in the doorway, and I wasn't sure what to do as I didn't want to cut them in line. When I looked down, I saw that there were little drawings of feet on the ground in order to encourage social distancing. I walked up and planted my feet down to wait to speak to the hostess. But the problem was, I was seemingly the only one following the rules.
While normally I would go right up to the hostess and let her know I had a reservation, I stood firmly in place while I watched person after person walk in front of me and be seated. COVID has taught me not only to be patient but also that the risk of running in to a crowd of people to make a stink is probably not worth it.
I watched as people began to fill the lobby and finally, I asked a group in front of me if they were waiting to be seated. They seemed to register what was happening and moved along so I had the opportunity to finally walk up to the hostess desk. I explained to her with a smile that people seemed to be a little confused on how things were working. She reminded me, we're all adjusting, which, yes, is totally understandable.
Another thing I'll note is besides one other group, I was the only one wearing any type of facial covering besides the restaurant staff. Obviously you can't eat with a mask on, so I was wondering how that was going to be handled. You'd think if people weren't going to wear masks they would be very diligent about social distancing, but that wasn't really the case either. If you're going to go out to eat, it's important to remember you can't control other people. You should be ready for others to not be as diligent as you might be.
I was taken to my seat where I noticed that tables seemed to be more spaced out, and there appeared to be new glass partitions between them. Things were cleaned extremely thoroughly. I noticed workers doing it all throughout my meal, which definitely added to my peace of mind.
There was another problem I could have never predicted...how was I going to pull out my seat? Should I pull it out and go wash my hands? Then I would just have to pull it out again! Should I ask for help? I decided to just pull the seat out and douse my hands in hand sanitizer and hope for the best.
My friend texted me to let me know that she was being told to wait outside so they could control capacity. When she finally arrived at the table, we were like, how do we greet each other now? Hugs are out of the question, and I noticed a group in the lobby doing some sort of elbow bump, which I guess is going to catch on now! I decided to pre-empt any awkwardness by noting "wow, isn't it so weird that we can't hug?!" That seemed to work just fine.
Another tough thing for me, as someone who loves to order everything on the menu for the table to share is...sharing gets a lot harder when you're trying not to touch things. We decided to try it anyway and ordered truffle fries with aioli. We asked to each get our own container of aioli so we could double dip freely. As I put my share of fries on to my own plate, I decided this was an upside because hey, who doesn't love an excuse to have extra condiments?
We enjoyed our meals (I had crab cakes, asparagus, corn, and beautiful sauce, and my friend had a chicken salad croissant for those wondering!), sat at the table and chatted, and received the bill along with a small box. When we opened it up, there was a fresh pen, ready for us to sign our bill. That was such a finishing touch on the whole experience as the staff at the restaurant worked hard through our whole meal to make everyone feel comfortable, to make the restaurant feel clean and safe, and for it to be an enjoyable experience worth leaving the safety of your house for.
The thing I most want to drive home is that this is new for all of us, and if you're going out to eat, you should be prepared for that. Restaurants are dealing with limited capacity, new rules, and their staff are putting themselves out there to the public every single day after not being able to work from home through the pandemic. The least we can do is make it easier on them by being patient and tipping them very well.
If you're planning on going out to eat yourself, I would first recommend you call ahead and make a reservation, which will not only help the restaurant plan ahead for how much food they'll need for the day but can also help guarantee you get a spot when only certain tables will be open. When you do call, it's worth briefly asking about their policies regarding masks, entrance to the restaurant, etc. It can help you better know what to expect. I would also say if your favorite restaurant opens up today, you might want to wait two weeks to go to it.
I'm glad I kind of broke the ice and went back to a restaurant again. This is all brand new for everybody, and these restaurants are figuring it out and everybody else is figuring it out, too. The experience will only improve from the already excellent hospitality I received. The least we can do is help to support these restaurants as much as we can as they figure it out.
Carisha Swanson is the Market Director for House Beautiful. At any given point she's searching for her next foodie and design-related travel adventure, drinking a nice pour of bourbon or a perfectly poured martini, or searching for my dream home in Mexico/North Carolina.
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