First Dining Out Experience After Lockdown

On Friday 10th July my husband and I went out to a restaurant for the first time after lockdown. Restaurants were able to reopen from 4th July in England, but we decided to wait a few days. We wanted to avoid a first rush and give restaurants a bit of time to get those potential first glitches out of the way.

I really missed going out for dinner but when the moment arrived that restaurants could reopen, I started to feel a bit nervous. Will dining out still have a good ambience? Did restaurants take enough measures? Are other people adhering to the new rules and social distancing?

We decided to start off with Le Petit Citron in Hammersmith, a local French Bistro that was a favourite of ours long before corona. As it’s a neighbourhood restaurant, we hoped it wouldn’t be too crowded. Also, whilst still trying to avoid public transport it was great that the restaurant was walking distance.

It did feel a bit strange when we first set foot in the restaurant. Staff was walking around with protective gloves, tables were widely spread throughout the restaurant, stickers of the walking route on the floor. As one of the staff approached us with a big smile and a welcome, we first got an explanation about routing and other logistics. For a moment I was afraid this night out would become a very clinical dining experience.

When we took our seats we got offered a complimentary glass of rosé. A nice touch to welcome back their guests after a long time of being closed. Quite cleverly, we had a side table positioned right next to our table. The waiter explained it worked as a platform for them to serve our drinks and dishes and for us to put our empty plates and glasses for collection. This way the staff wouldn’t have to come too close to us when serving and everyone was able to keep a social distance.

Whilst we were sipping on our welcome drink, we had a look at the menu. We were happy to see that some of our trusted and favourite dishes were still on the menu, even though it was visible they reduced the offer compared to before.

We ordered our main courses and the waiter immediately asked for our dessert choices and other drinks, explaining they tried to minimize contact moments. This felt a bit strange as we had just arrived and were already ordering desserts for later, but completely understandable given the circumstances. After ordering we were presented with a little basket of disinfected cutlery to an otherwise empty table. Maybe not as charming as sitting down at a set table but it showed they had measures in place and were taking everyone’s wellbeing seriously.

When the initial formalities and explanations were dealt with, it was actually smooth sailing. The staff walked around confident and with a smile and they were still as friendly and attentive as before. By the moment our food came to the table, I almost forgot we were now dining out post-lockdown.

We had a lovely evening enjoying confit duck leg, onglet steak, the most perfect crėme brûlée, wine and cocktails. It also felt good to get out of the house and to be in a different environment for a bit. Even though contact with staff was minimized, they were still up for a little chat when we were ready to pay.

I think all in all it wouldn’t have been realistic to think dining out would feel exactly the same as before corona. But once we get to a place where social distancing, face masks and sanitizers just become part of our daily routines, I’m sure we will also get used to this new way of dining out.

If you are not too comfortable dining out yet, try a “stay home dinner date night.” Check this blog post on how my husband and I still enjoyed restaurant food during lockdown.