I couldn’t even remember the last time I dined in a restaurant. Ever since the pandemic hit us, it just doesn’t feel safe anymore even with the strict implementation of health protocols.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire food chains for continuing their services amid this health crisis. But when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that there might never be a “silver bullet” for COVID-19, it just solidified my belief that it’s impossible for us to go back to our old routine—and yes, that includes the way we dine.

Does this signify the death of dine-in restaurants?

The short answer is no—well, hopefully. Restaurant owners continue to find ways on how to battle this pandemic. One of them is Eric Dee of the FooDee Global Food Concepts who worked with Michael and Deneice Chan of CY Designs to come up with a restaurant blueprint that will address the “new normal.”

[READ: Dining in pods and UVC-lit hallways—is this what dining in the future looks like?]

“We made sure that we still covered the basic principles of dining out or we failed all together. Dining out is a communal experience, so we had to make sure that we are able to maintain the communal feel while still being safe by all our additional safety measures,” said Dee.

“We also made sure that we implement less contact points. And in instances that there are contact points, [we have] to make sure that all those contact points are being disinfected periodically—either manually or automatically,” he added.

How it works

Before entering the restaurant, customers have to get their temperature checked, disinfect their shoes and sanitize their hands. Dee also proposes a single-way circulation with a separate entrance and exit.

Sanitized enclosed pods

There will be two types of pods in this setup—those for individual diners and for groups. All pods will have access to the conveyor belt, acrylic dividers and doors (swing doors for singular pods and slide doors for communal pods), open slats for ventilation, table numbers and mist spray buttons.

Order via QR code

Diners won’t have to leave their pods to order. They only need their smartphones to scan the QR code to access the menu and place their orders. To minimize contact, dishes will be delivered through the conveyor belt.

Far-UV lights all over the place

Now you might be wondering what the UV lights are for. According to a recent study by experts from the Columbia University Center for Radiological Research in New York City, these lights help sterilize the area and kill airborne viruses like the flu without harming the skin and eyes.

“The current solutions we have are the most cost effective at the moment. Because we are in survival mode, we have to make do with what we currently have. This proposal is to be a starting point for other restaurateurs to build up on. This should be an evolving design moving forward,” Dee concluded.

Header photo courtesy of Eric Dee on Facebook

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