Restaurant Dining

[Gumby]

My mother taught me two important things that bear on this issue:
1. Patience is a virtue.
2. Care for other people.

 

[Ronstar]

But isn't the idea behind the continued mask wearing that vaccinated people can still pass the virus to unvaccinated people? I'm willing to continue taking precautions until everyone who wants to get vaccinated has the opportunity to do so.

I agree to a point. I will wear take precautions in accordance with applicable rules. But I'm not about to try to figure out whether everyone who wants to get vaccinated has had the opportunity to do so.

 

[Koolau]

My 50th high school reunion was suppose to have been last summer--of course it had to be postponed. It is rescheduled for June of this year and I was trying to decide if I wanted to go, I live about 1.5 hours away. Today I get an email about the reunion, it is going to be held inside at a country club, probably about 100-150 people in attendance. The email said masks were "optional" (even though this will violate state rules) and that the food was going to be a buffet. That made up my mind-- I responded I would not be coming. I thought people in my high school class were smarter than this, I guess I am wrong.

I liked and appreciated a lot of the folks in my graduating class. Having said that I can't say I thought of them, as a whole, to be "smarter" than to ignore masks or other "protective" gear. IIRC 13 girls dropped out of my Sr. class at Christmas break. Just sayin', so YMMV.

 

[audreyh1]

But isn't the idea behind the continued mask wearing that vaccinated people can still pass the virus to unvaccinated people? I'm willing to continue taking precautions until everyone who wants to get vaccinated has the opportunity to do so.

Same here. Until cases drop a lot more.

I think the idea is more behind:

A) we're not 100% on vaccines = no transmission, but we're getting there
B) we can't tell by looking if you're vaccinated or not, so A is moot
C) the infection rates are still alarmingly high, and the virus continues to mutate, also meaning A isn't ironclad even if true
D) we don't know, yet, for sure, how effective all these measure are against variants, even more also meaning A isn't ironclad even if true

so stay vigilant for a few more months till we know and see the rates go down to very low numbers.

Exactly!

I agree to a point. I will wear take precautions in accordance with applicable rules. But I'm not about to try to figure out whether everyone who wants to get vaccinated has had the opportunity to do so.

You see it by infections going way, way down.

 

[Ready]

I think it will be some time before we see buffet dining in many parts of the country. Even Whole Foods has adapted their buffet style selections to where they are either pre-packaged in plastic, or they are behind a rope where you are required to ask a Whole Foods employee to select the food items for you.

I’ve seen entire restaurant chains based on buffet dining go out of business due to COVID. And cruise ships are going to need to rethink their buffet dining options once they get going again. This may be the end of buffet dining as we know it.

Drink refills are another touchy subject. Costco still won’t let me refill my soda without having an employee do it for me. And most of the self serve restaurants with drink fountains have gone the same way.

 

[RobbieB]

One can only hope.

There are few worse things in life than scooping drek food out of stainless steel pans on a steam table.

 

[athena53]

I'm sorry, I have to give an alternate opinion.

Once you get the vaccine and it has taken effect, you are about 90% immune, and virtually zero risk of being hospitalized for COVID.

That puts it in flu risk territory (or less), which we haven't gone crazy about and kept out lives shut down for the flu since 1918.

<snip>
If you are still concerned about COVID and afraid to go about your life, that's your business. As long as you don't expect me to continue staying in my bunker to ameliorate your (in my opinion, unfounded) fear, I'm good with it.

FTR, I had COVID in December, and I got vaccinated four weeks ago. I'm good, I'm done.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

I'm fully vaccinated but still masking and distancing. I consider them minor inconveniences that can't hurt, might help. I've also stayed out of airplanes and airports- booked for my first flight in October Previous one was March, 2020. I am THIS close to getting Diamond status with Hilton thanks to road trips and relaxed requirements for status.

Back to the OT- BF (also fully vaccinated) and I have 2 local restaurants we like and trust and have been dining in regularly for months. We've avoided some that have crowded parking lots. Distance, masking and cleaning measures are still reassuring,

 

[Badger]

One can only hope.

There are few worse things in life than scooping drek food out of stainless steel pans on a steam table.

The times we went to a buffet was as the door was opened for business. Otherwise you take your chances with people handling the food and putting it back into the pans, sneezing on the food, using serving spoons after wiping their nose with their hands, etc. May or may not have been any better eating the food as they were just put out. They could have been serving yesterday's food warmed up first. We stopped going quite some time ago before Covid.



Cheers!

 

[disneysteve]

I’ve seen entire restaurant chains based on buffet dining go out of business due to COVID.

Yep. One of our Florida favorites, Sweet Tomatoes (Soup Plantation in other areas) closed. We eat there once or twice on every Florida trip.

 

[JoeWras]

Drink refills are another touchy subject. Costco still won’t let me refill my soda without having an employee do it for me. And most of the self serve restaurants with drink fountains have gone the same way.

Did they lower their price? No they did not.

 

[Midpack]

But isn't the idea behind the continued mask wearing that vaccinated people can still pass the virus to unvaccinated people? I'm willing to continue taking precautions until everyone who wants to get vaccinated has the opportunity to do so.

I agree to a point. I will wear take precautions in accordance with applicable rules. But I'm not about to try to figure out whether everyone who wants to get vaccinated has had the opportunity to do so.

+1. That’s why we still wear masks, lots of people have died, less than half of people have completed vaccinations, and infection rates are still high. Plus - how hard is it to wear a simple mask? Some people are making way too much of being asked to wear a mask IMO.

 

[Ready]

Did they lower their price? No they did not.

I don’t understand your point. A hotdog and soda is $1.50. They still offer free drink refills, but now they have to keep a Costco employee stationed at the soda fountain to pour the drink for you, so their labor costs went up. Why would they lower their price?

 

[harllee]

The times we went to a buffet was as the door was opened for business. Otherwise you take your chances with people handling the food and putting it back into the pans, sneezing on the food, using serving spoons after wiping their nose with their hands, etc. May or may not have been any better eating the food as they were just put out. They could have been serving yesterday's food warmed up first. We stopped going quite some time ago before Covid.



Cheers!

I never ate from buffets even prior to Covid, IMO they are just nasty germ breeding grounds. I also don't like potlucks (even prior to Covid). Last time I ate at a Church potluck (3 or 4 years ago) I ended up with a nasty stomach bug. When I went to potlucks (prior to Covid) I would take a dish for the table and I would take a separate meal on my own plate for myself. When people asked me why I didn't eat potluck I would just tell them I have food allergies.
Buffets and potlucks may be a thing of the past.

 

[audreyh1]

I gave up on neighborhood potlucks here very quickly when I discovered that my neighborhood had very marginal cooks. Only one neighbor had terrific cookouts at his place.

I guess that was better for my waistline.

I guess I was spoiled growing up. My mother’s family had legions of terrific cooks - men and women. Their large gathering meals were always fantastic. My family foodie genes are definitely inherited.

 

[JoeWras]

I don’t understand your point. A hotdog and soda is $1.50. They still offer free drink refills, but now they have to keep a Costco employee stationed at the soda fountain to pour the drink for you, so their labor costs went up. Why would they lower their price?

You mentioned that most fast food restaurants have gone that way. It is more than Costco.

Not having self serve refills will result in less soda consumption. It is a pain to get a refill from busy counter staff. You also have to impose yourself and "cut in line." Chick-fil-A never had self serve, so you have to ask for your refill. I find the value of soda there to be poor due to that. It is not My Pleasure to have to beg for refills.

So... no self serve means less soda, meaning they should drop the price. That's all I'm sayin'

And, yes, I have a soda problem. So be it.

 

[Koolau]

You mentioned that most fast food restaurants have gone that way. It is more than Costco.

Not having self serve refills will result in less soda consumption. It is a pain to get a refill from busy counter staff. You also have to impose yourself and "cut in line." Chick-fil-A never had self serve, so you have to ask for your refill. I find the value of soda there to be poor due to that. It is not My Pleasure to have to beg for refills.

So... no self serve means less soda, meaning they should drop the price. That's all I'm sayin'

And, yes, I have a soda problem. So be it.

We all do what we gotta do. DW and I - even when we had kids - rarely ordered sodas with restaurant meals. (We still don't - except the "included" drinks like Costco Dog and Soda for $1.50.) It saved a bundle since our little bird-stomached kids would have wanted a "king size" drink and used 3 oz. As it was, we always took food home and DW and I usually had to eat it as the kids had no interest in left overs. That was a battle we saw we would never truly win so we capitulated early. Just not worth the battle when there were so many other "worthy" battles in the raising-kids arena. (I'd much rather a kid met curfew than eat the other half of their sammich.)

As far as Chick-fil-A goes, the only one I go to is in my home town - 2 years ago, now. They seemed (pre-civid) to have roving employees with nothing to do but check if anyone needed a refill. For as busy as they were, they had good service IMHO.

As far as prices go. Covid has turned EVERYTHING upside down in the prices game. The few times we've been to restaurants of late, menus have been cut and prices have been raised. In other words less for more. One might think restaurants would be doing anything - including lowering prices - to get business. It seems quite the opposite and I think I can see the logic. All the fixed costs a restaurant faces are the same. There have been added requirements to upgrade sanitation as well. Fewer folks are allowed into a restaurant. THUS: To have any chance to survive, cuts must be made to service and or menus and prices must rise. It sort of goes against the usual model, but these are strange times. Also, restaurants are not actually "necessary" (not like gas stations, for instance) so in a sense they are a luxury expense. If you want the luxury, the price has now gone up. We are seeing it in the tourist industry. There are fewer things to do on the Island and yet the prices have risen now that some things are reopening. Tourism is a luxury item.

One hope is that things will return to "normal" soon. (I for one have been resisting using the term "new normal" but I'm probably whistling past the grave yard on that one.)

On a side note, the one bizarre thing I've noticed with the Costco dog and drink is that, here in the Islands, plastic is being outlawed. It's on a phased basis. First to go was plastic straws. Costco has supplied a paper straw since before Covid. If you drink fast, a straw will last for one drink. A refill needs a new straw. As always, YMMV.

 

[Oakster]

I dined in a restaurant last week for the first time in a year. It was a really nice experience and something I’ve truly missed. Restaurants just started serving indoors again recently in California. Capacity is limited to 50% right now so the restaurants I’ve been to have not been crowded. I do see some smaller restaurants ignoring the rules and packing every table. I won’t eat at those places. I’ve had both Pfizer shots so I feel comfortable eating in restaurants that adhere to the 50% rule.

What has been your experience with restaurant dining?

Other than about 2 months of the initial scare, our restaurants have been open the whole time. National chain fast food was closed the longest. McDonalds and Arby's just recently opened their lobbies. Wyoming is sparsely populated and we social distance almost due to the lack of population.

 

[Oakster]

I don't plan to do indoors until well after my 2nd shot, and even then only in a good, well aired, non-cramped place.

Besides, outdoors is always my preference, and I live in S. Fla, so don't whine to me about how hot it is. Our favorite sushi place has a small row of outdoor tables, and "our table" has been one that was 12+ feet from the next even before the pandemic. Bonus, it's under a big overhang from the building.

It'll be July before it's stinking hot outdoors in the evening, so I'll see then if we'd prefer to try back inside for the summer, but unlikely for now.

Its funny, here in Wyoming where I live, its windy. Nobody really offers outdoor dining in my area. We talked about it at length when I was designing our downtown revitalization project about 10 years ago. None of the restaurants wanted to offer outdoor dining because everyone would have the wind blowing coal dust and sand into your mashed potatoes. I thought it was pretty funny.

 

[Darrenb5]

We were fully vaccinated in early March here in the Dallas area. This month we started going out to sit-down restaurants as usual - maybe once a week or so. Every place we've been to has been fairly busy, but I noticed the waiting areas were not crowded (maybe people waited in their cars?). Thanks to the vaccine we felt perfectly safe.

 

[littleb]

We have been eating in restaurants ever since our state opened up restaurants with restrictions around 6 months or so. We eat out 2-3 times a week and enjoy the freedom.

 

[audreyh1]

Its funny, here in Wyoming where I live, its windy. Nobody really offers outdoor dining in my area. We talked about it at length when I was designing our downtown revitalization project about 10 years ago. None of the restaurants wanted to offer outdoor dining because everyone would have the wind blowing coal dust and sand into your mashed potatoes. I thought it was pretty funny.

Coal dust and sand. Yikes!

 

[littleb]

I'm sorry, I have to give an alternate opinion.

Once you get the vaccine and it has taken effect, you are about 90% immune, and virtually zero risk of being hospitalized for COVID.

That puts it in flu risk territory (or less), which we haven't gone crazy about and kept out lives shut down for the flu since 1918.

We have shut down our economy and lives for FAR too long, with an overly risk adverse public policy approach to COVID. Now, people are saying, well, now we have the vaccine...that's still not enough to move on. Well, if the vaccine isn't enough, we're NEVER going to reopen. That's not acceptable.

That's enough risk mitigation to move on and get on with my life.

I just think it's a counterproductive message if you tell people, hey, get the vaccine, it's great, but by the way you're going to have to continue to mask, distance, etc.

If you're a medical worker working with COVID patients, by all means, you should continue to utilize infection control, you should do that COVID or otherwise.

If you are still concerned about COVID and afraid to go about your life, that's your business. As long as you don't expect me to continue staying in my bunker to ameriorate your (in my opinion, unfounded) fear, I'm good with it.

FTR, I had COVID in December, and I got vaccinated four weeks ago. I'm good, I'm done.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

I agree.

We stayed inside for almost a year abiding by all the standard covid recommendations.

Our Governor announced today no more mask mandates inside or outside as of May 31. Of course businesses can decide on their own.

We are vaccinated and are going to live our life now.

 

[RobbieB]

I sure hope so. Out here there is a minimum of inside eats. Like a couple tables with everything else stack up along walls and piled up in corners.

Bring back my sushi bar please!

 

[5Miler]

DGF and I meet up every Friday with 7 other people for indoor dining at a number of restaurants that we hit on an informal rotation. We did stop for the first two months of the pandemic last year while the state had a stay at home order, but resumed soon after it was lifted and indoor dining became available again. All of us are now vaccinated while two actually contracted the virus in December prior to their vaccination. Interesting that the husband of the couple who contracted the virus works but two other members of our group work in health care at local hospitals but did not contract the virus.

All but one of our restaurants have now closed and don't look to be reopening. The closures could have been even worse had we experienced state mandated closures all year. It did afford us the opportunity to try out many new restaurants that we had not tried before.

 

[2retireearly]

I've been eating indoors since they allowed it, in Virginia...maybe last May? The restaurants certainly are abiding by the rules...social distancing...masks..50% occupancy....they don't want to get it, or for you to get it. I've also done outside, when available, and when weather is nice, and/or heaters are outside. I'm happy I have the vaccine now, since Jan 6, and so many others do, too. I'm happy to be supporting our restaurants. I'm happy to be following science and common sense.