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One of the hardest things about the lockdown, aside from not being able to see friends and family, is not being able to eat at some of our favourite restaurants. Many of us have had to cancel various celebrations, occasions that would have normally involved eating out, such as birthdays and anniversaries.

What To Do If You’re Missing Your Favourite Restaurants and Cafe’s

Cooking restaurant food at home

Something that I like to do is attempt to cook my favourite restaurant meals at home. While it’s not quite the same as having a professional cook it for me, it is fun to try some new recipes that are a little bit out of my comfort zone such as this vegetable lasagne.

With many of us now having lots more time on our hands, this could be the perfect time to hone your skills in the kitchen and attempt to cook some new dishes.  Squaremeal is now providing lots of restaurant standard recipes for people to try at home so if you have a particular favourite you would like to try, it’s worth having a browse to see if anything inspires.

As many of us aren’t spending on going out at the moment, you could use some of that cash to invest in a nice coffee machine, stand mixer or something else that will improve home dining.

Looking to the future

While the lockdown restrictions remain in place, and we don’t yet have a clear idea when restaurants will be opening, it may still be worthing thinking about the future and any special events you may have coming up. I believe once restaurants are allowed to started opening, there may well be a big rush on bookings for the following months while everyone tries to get back to normal. It’s also likely many will initially run at a lower capacity to comply with any continued social distancing measures.

So, whether you’re looking for vegan restaurants, Italian restaurants or merely planning on heading back to your favourite neighbourhood restaurant, my advice is to book early through somewhere like Squaremeal who provide lots of options for parties, weddings and meetings.

If you are looking to book for a large party, it may even be worth contacting them now so they can pencil you in and then you can adjust the booking at a later date if needed. I’m sure a lot of independent restaurants would appreciate knowing they’ll have customers waiting when they do finally reopen.

Concerned about Hygiene?

At the moment, it can be difficult to imagine what a post-covid world will look like. And of course, it’s perfectly normal to have concerns about how restaurants will protect both their customers and staff going forwards. Squaremeal actually provides the official hygiene rating for all of their listed restaurants which may help assuage any worries you have about eating out.  Looking through any potential restaurants websites to see whether they mention which precautions they will be taking to ensure guests safety may also help ease concerns. I believe restaurants will also take further steps to provide a safe environment going forwards, which could include implementing some of the following measures:

• Going completely cashless – This is something I would recommend checking before going to any restaurant in the future to make sure you have a suitable way to pay.
• Bookings only – I believe many restaurants may choose to implement a ‘bookings only’ policy. This will allow them to carefully manage the number of guests and staff in the restaurant at any one time and allow time for thorough sanitation between guests.
• Removal of Tables – Some restaurants may choose to remove every other table or adjust their floor plan to allow for social distancing. With less capacity, this may mean booking ahead is more advisable than ever before.
• Limited Menus – Many restaurants will likely run with a limited menu in place, to begin with at least. This will mean less kitchen staff are needed, making social distancing easier and ensuring the minimum number of people are coming into contact with your food.
• Streamlined Contact – Restaurants may streamline their processes to limit contact between servers and guests. This could include drink and food orders being taken at the same and the same person serving both your food and drinks.