#PINNED: What to expect when eating out in the new normal?

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Other than our collective loathing of working from home or having online classes, there’s another thing that we’re all united in missing: eating out with our loved ones in our favorite restaurants.

We know that creating our own versions of the food we love through online recipes or crash courses on cooking is very much possible. There are tons of articles online about that. However, it just doesn’t cut it if we don’t have the old crew to share the food with over drinks or juicy office gossip.

Fortunately for us, the end is within sight. Another few weeks or so and we'll all be under the general community quarantine (GCQ). Which… means exactly what when it comes to eating out with our loved ones?

Don’t worry fam, we gotchu! Here are that things that what we think will happen under the “new normal” once we’re allowed to visit our favorite restos again:

1. Take outs, drive thru, and delivery

Take outs and deliveries are probably the safest option for everyone, you and the restaurant staff. These minimize physical contact between individuals and assure you that your food comes from a sanitary and healthy environment. Controlling the people coming in and out of the restaurant is the most important thing. (Maybe eating at home is still the safest option!)

There are food delivery apps, like Grab food and Food Panda, that will help you and restaurants will probably opt to deliver their own food too!

2. Face masks everywhere

Face masks are not probably going out of fashion anytime soon. Everyone is still expected to wear it even if the community quarantine is lifted. It will also be a staple for anyone working in the food industry. This means you might not get to see the handsome - I mean favorite waiter’s smile when you visit!

Personal hygiene will also be considered by the restaurants when accepting customers. Face masks should always be worn in a public setting and restaurants will always have a handy alcohol or sanitizer present in every table.

3. Social distancing is the new normal

For the foreseeable future, dining in is still not allowed under GCQ. However, if it eventually gets allowed, you'll probably notice a redecoration and rearrangement of your favorite restos. This is because restaurants need to downsize their capacity so that tables are far away from each other to practice social distancing. This will result in having to cater to a fewer number of customers at a time and will probably force the restaurants to make table reservations.

Waiting in line to order will also require social distancing. This would commonly be seen implemented in fast food restaurants.

4. Best to postpone parties

We always associate good food with good people. It’s been tradition for us Filipinos to celebrate in our favorite restaurants. For kids it can be Jollibee or Mcdo birthday parties, for family outings it could be Max’s salo-salo meals. However, these large gatherings might not be as safe right now, and restaurants that offer these might not anymore. So this will really change how we celebrate for important occasions.

Buffets and all you can eat restaurants will also down size and prepare for this “new normal.” A large gathering will probably be discouraged by the government so you probably need to settle on catering for big parties or getting food delivered to your home.

5. Expect more food trucks

We don’t really have food trucks here in the Philippines. What we have are, well, Jollijeeps. But these are usually found in areas with a big concentration of working professionals. However, now that the protocols are changing, naturally restaurants are being creative on how they can adapt and safely implement their business. Food trucks are one way of doing that.

You can line up, of course while still following social distancing, order through a glass window of the truck, wait for your meal to be prepared and pick up your meal, all while not being in physical contact with anyone.

This is a great solution for the food industry because it follows the implemented rules of quarantine and social distancing. This could usher in the popularity of street food and easy and fast food like we’ve never seen before.

We get it, honestly. We’d like nothing more than to return to the way things are but we all know that is an impossibility. The new normal might be uncomfortable and awkward at first, but it is designed to keep us safe. And for now the safest thing to do is to stay at home and dine in!