Poll: Are You Ready To Return To Your Favorite Dine In Restaurant?

[davebarnes]

Way more than 2+ months.
We did buy $400 worth of gift cards at our 'local' (HopsandPie.com) that we plan to use in 2021 (most likely).
We are not 'dining in' until we are 99% confident we won't contract Covid-19. At my age, it is just too dangerous.
Besides, I like dining on our front and back patios. The back is especially pleasant.

[rk911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski Oh no.... Waffle House is wonderful.... not dining per se, more just eating... but good food IME.

dining vs eating. we’re more “eating” people, we rarely dine. Waffle House es muy bueno!

[gwraigty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harllee I live in a college town but it is also a big retiree town. In my experience the restaurants that my friends and I frequent are very different from the restaurants that most college kids go to. I usually eat at high end fairly expensive restaurants that rarely have any college aged customers. On the other had the college kids mostly eat at pizza and burger joints that I don't frequent. So in my town the restaurants have a double whammy--the pizza and burger joints are hit hard because no students. The high end restaurants are hit hard because no older folks are going. I think some of the high end can restaurants can survive if they are smart and creative. The pizza joints and hamburger places are in big trouble if school does not resume. Some of them have already gone out of business. Right now the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is saying students will come back early in August and leave before Thanksgiving but there are going to be different types of classes and the dorms situation will be different. Everyone on campus will be required to wear masks.

Yes, college kids probably aren't going to eat at high end restaurants. Things should improve when some return to campus. BTW, here are your demographics:

https://datausa.io/profile/geo/chape...c#category_age

18 to 24 (college age) is 31% of your population. It looks like 65+ is 11% of your population. That's less than in my city, where about 15% is 65+. I definitely don't live in a big retiree town. Maybe all of your retirees live in the same part of town. They're spread out all throughout the city here.

[Dtail]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebarnes Way more than 2+ months. We did buy $400 worth of gift cards at our 'local' (HopsandPie.com) that we plan to use in 2021 (most likely). We are not 'dining in' until we are 99% confident we won't contract Covid-19. At my age, it is just too dangerous. Besides, I like dining on our front and back patios. The back is especially pleasant.

Beautiful.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwraigty Yes, college kids probably aren't going to eat at high end restaurants. Things should improve when some return to campus. BTW, here are your demographics: https://datausa.io/profile/geo/chape...c#category_age 18 to 24 (college age) is 31% of your population. It looks like 65+ is 11% of your population. That's less than in my city, where about 15% is 65+. I definitely don't live in a big retiree town. Maybe all of your retirees live in the same part of town. They're spread out all throughout the city here.

The biggest chunk of retirees here are outside the city limits in the county at a big gated community called Governors Club. I don't live there.

[unclemick]

Free range meat. Soil grown organic non GMO everything else. Vetted vaccine available.

Gone but not forgotten - 50% of meals eaten out. 4 to 5 VRBO or hotel trips a year. Two one week family reunions - one each side 20 plus people each.

Brave new world at age 76. Reasonable health BUT?

heh heh heh - my crystal ball is foggy. So isolating with my Curmudgeon Certicate and getting down with my INTJ bad self.

[Doribe]

My town is planning on outside only dining. If the CV19 spread doesn't escalate, I would likely stop at an outdoor cafe, with proper distancing in about two months. We are opening up next week, so I want to wait and see how it goes for my braver neighbors.

I do take-out once a week with curbside pickup now. I really want to see all the independent restaurants and retailers make it through this.

[Tom57]

Our local restaurant reopened 11/16/2020 at 50% capacity (Nevada). We have been there twice already and will go again 5/26/2020.

[Dtail]

2 outdoor meals so far. Will not inside a restaurant for now.
Spacing of outdoor seating was more than 6 feet, plus not crowded.

[lucky penny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebarnes Way more than 2+ months. We did buy $400 worth of gift cards at our 'local' (HopsandPie.com) that we plan to use in 2021 (most likely). We are not 'dining in' until we are 99% confident we won't contract Covid-19. At my age, it is just too dangerous. Besides, I like dining on our front and back patios. The back is especially pleasant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtail Beautiful.

TWO nice patios! (Sigh.) Wish I could join you.

[Golden sunsets]

Not only will many restaurants close because those of us who are 65+ will not feel comfortable "dining in" until there is a vaccine and/or no more covid, but tourism will be down significantly at least for this season, further reducing the pool of diners. Heck restaurants in our area, known as a foodie mecca, are already announcing permanent closures.

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sojourner +1 One of the most notable, early "super-spreader" events occurred at a restaurant in China. One pre-symptomatic diner managed to infect 9 people sitting at nearby tables over the course of about an hour. Since the person was pre-symptomatic, there wasn't much overt coughing or sneezing, but there were enough respiratory droplets ejected into the air that nearly 50% of the diners sitting nearby were infected. No dining in for us for a good, long while. Not worth the risk.

We are doing takeout for 3 meals a week now and will venture out to outdoor restaurants when they open up with adequate distancing.

[Midpack]

This chart isn’t as current as I’d like but it illustrates how restaurants were hit versus broader economic activity. Travel and entertainment were hit even worse - all unprecedented.
https://tracktherecovery.org/

[ychuck46]

Here in TN we have been back and dining in for a few weeks now. Most full serve restaurants are completely open; it is the fast food chains that are resisting and limiting themselves to drive thru and delivery for now (although we are hearing that some are looking to open soon). No problems, people are great, and the employees are on top of things. If you don't feel comfortable then stay away; it insures that tables and booths are available for those that want to go. That's why we are a Free country; no one will force you to go, and you can't stop me from supporting these business owners.

[AllDone]

We used to eat out a lot, but until we get vaccinated, it's not worth the risk. We're eating take-out every couple of weeks and that will have to do for now.

My husband's sisters were all sick with the virus (2 in NY and 1 in TX). It was a rough experience even though they're all under sixty without any significant medical history. One sister developed heart failure and it's not clear that will clear up completely. It's just not a good idea to go out more than necessary.

My husband is impressed by how much our credit card bills have dropped.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ychuck46 Here in TN we have been back and dining in for a few weeks now. Most full serve restaurants are completely open; it is the fast food chains that are resisting and limiting themselves to drive thru and delivery for now (although we are hearing that some are looking to open soon). No problems, people are great, and the employees are on top of things. If you don't feel comfortable then stay away; it insures that tables and booths are available for those that want to go. That's why we are a Free country; no one will force you to go, and you can't stop me from supporting these business owners.

But aren't the larger cities in TN like Memphis and Nashville still under strict restaurant rules --only 50% capacity, tables 6 feet apart, etc.?

[Jcny18]

Nope. Not for a long time. I'm in NYC. Still hundreds of new cases a day and I am most definitely in the vulnerable group.

[Steevo]

No way in hell.

[airbornesapper]

We’re doing fairly well in locked-down here in Canada’s Maritime Provinces...

[Midpack]

I just noticed today local fast food places are still keeping dining rooms locked, allowing drive thru only - even while sit down restaurants are jumping through hoops to comply with 50% capacity guidance. I wonder if fast food places are resisting dine in to protect employee and customer health - or because it takes fewer people with drive thru only, more profitable. Maybe some of both...