What are some post-COVID-19 dining etiquette tips to follow in beach resorts?
- Reduce time spent on eating
- Sit away from other beachgoers
- Don’t share utensils
- Read the menu beforehand
- Go cashless
The COVID-19 virus is still pretty much in full force in the country. Though some restrictions have been lifted in some areas, this does not mean that people are free to become lax about the measures they take to protect themselves. In line with this, it’s also the responsibility of reopening establishments to remind the guests of dining etiquette after COVID-19.
As accommodation sites like hotels and beach resorts slowly reopen, they’d also be opening spaces such as in-house restaurants for the customers. Hygiene should still remain at the top of the fore. Continue reading to learn more.
Reduce time spent on eating
As much as you want to be able to relive beach resort experiences after COVID-19, it simply isn’t feasible. As you begin dining out in common-areas of beach resorts such as pool decks, in-house restaurants, or even just along the shores of the beach itself, you need to take note of the situation. Reducing the time that you spend on eating further decreases the likelihood of you getting exposed to potential diseases outdoors.
If you’re catching up with a friend, it may not be ideal to just idly sit around inside a restaurant, or increase the time you spend in contact with other people around you. Find the right balance between having a leisurely good time and keeping you and everyone around you safe.
Sit away from other beachgoers
Spending more than three months inside your house can make any person insane, to say the least. While you may understand the rationale behind this, people can’t help coming up with what they’d do as soon as the restrictions begin to ease. Some people may visit the malls as soon as they reopen. Those with a love for adventure and the outdoors also wouldn’t waste any time in booking a trip to beach resort destinations.
But in adapting to the new normal, these people would still have to make it a point that they’re still practicing social distancing. Though it’s a bit of a compromise, this is still a way they can enjoy everything the beach has to offer while subsequently keeping on top of the safety regulations.
Don’t share utensils
There’s no better feeling than eating out a restaurant with your family and friends after so long. Though the time spent at home, following all the safety precautions may have been enough to make people aware of the dining habits they need to maintain, some may still forget these habits.
When you’re dining out in an in-house restaurant in a beach resort – or anywhere for that matter – a rule of thumb you may want to follow is to avoid sharing your food and utensils with the people you’re with. Though it may be tempting to do so, it’s still far safer to avoid this practice, especially if the other person has already touched their food.
Read the menu beforehand
Arming yourself against COVID-19 is all about maintaining the quality of your sanitation practices. This also means washing your hands after coming into contact with high-touch surfaces.
In beach resorts, almost every common area can be classified as “high-touch”. This is especially true for restaurants that make use of menus that have been passed around from one individual to another. Though you can trust in the fact that the place has undergone the necessary measures to clean the area, you simply cannot be too careful in practicing proper hygiene. A way for you to reduce the time you spend with high-touch and high-contact surfaces such as restaurant menus is to read them beforehand.
Restaurants would have likely improved their online presence during the pandemic. They would have also uploaded online versions of their menu for their customers’ perusal. Keep yourself safe inside the restaurant by taking advantage of this feature. Aside from the safety element, this is all a non-time consuming way of choosing what to order.
Go cashless
Aside from bolstering their online presence, beach resorts would have understood the importance of adopting technologies for both customer safety, and improving management efficiency.
When you’re dining out in their restaurants, make sure you take advantage of this cashless feature. Restaurants have probably integrated tap-and-go pay systems in their operations. This is so that they would have to reduce transactions which are both time-consuming and not viable for social distancing. If you have to absolutely make a cash-based transaction – or any kind of activity for that matter – it’s always a good idea to carry around a hand sanitizer or any kind of disinfectant to keep you safe wherever you travel in the resort.
Key Takeaway
Dining etiquette after COVID-19 is all about limiting physical interactions between different individuals. As beach resorts, hotels, and restaurants open, they would have been able to put in place different safety measures and protocols for the safety of themselves as well as their guests.
You can do your part through simple acts such as going cashless, reducing the time you spend in eating, and staying a considerable distance away from the other beachgoers.
