Dining Etiquettes To Follow During The New Normal

What are the dining etiquettes to follow during the new normal?

1. Researching the menu in advance
2. Sanitizing your hands
3. Going cashless
4. Maintaining social distancing from other diners
5. Keeping your mask on
6. Reducing time spent on dining

Even though community quarantine restrictions have been lifted in some cities, it doesn’t mean that people are free to neglect the measures needed to protect themselves from COVID-19. The virus is still out there. With this being said, it’s the responsibility of the reopening establishments to remind the customers of dining etiquettes to follow during the new normal.

As establishments slowly reopen, they will also be servicing dining customers. However, hygiene should remain the top priority. Continue reading because we’ve rounded up tips for you to follow when dining during the pandemic.

Researching The Menu In Advance

In restaurants, almost every item and area can be categorized as “high-touch”. This is especially true for the menus that are passed around from one group of customers to another.

Even though you can place your trust in the management for taking the necessary sanitization measures, it will be wise to become extra careful when it comes to hygiene. Avoid touching high touch surfaces like the menu.

Every establishment is likely to improve its online presence during this pandemic. Check out their pages and websites because they could have uploaded online versions of their menus. Take advantage of it and plan out what you will order in advance. Save time and keep yourself even safer from possible infections.

Sanitizing Your Hands

Aside from strengthening their online presence, establishments have also likely adjusted their sanitation practices by now. You will typically encounter getting thermal scanned and seeing disinfectant mats in front of stores today.

Protecting yourself against COVID-19 is all about maintaining your own sanitation practices. This also means using the alcohol-based spray offered before entering a restaurant.

Your hands are always touching numerous objects and working on all types of activities throughout the day. You might have gone to the toilet, others may have typed in their laptop for work, or touched their furry pets. These activities result in hands getting exposed to harmful germs.

While using hand sanitizers will significantly reduce microbes, research says that washing your hands is more effective in eliminating all types of germs. Take your sanitization game up a notch by washing your hands or using hand sanitizer, or better yet, do both.

Going Cashless

Establishments are beginning to understand the importance of adapting to technology in order to keep customers and employees safe today.

Some establishments now feature cashless transactions. You might see new payment systems placed on counters wherein you can just tap your card and go. Try it out to further reduce the possibility of any infection.

If you don’t have a card, you can always opt to pay using cash. Restaurants are also handing out cash containers available at the counter to avoid close contact between customers and store crews.

Maintaining Social Distancing With Other Diners

Spending months quarantined in your house is depressing for almost everyone. And while you understand the reason for this, others just can’t help but come up with plans regarding what they’d do as soon as the community quarantine restrictions are lifted. Some may choose to visit the malls as soon as possible, while other families and groups of friends might book an out-of-town trip for a taste of adventure.

Help in stopping the spread of the virus. Even if you, your family, and your friends go out to dine at restaurants for that matter, remember to practice social distancing. Keep your distance from other diners for at least two meters. It’s a compromise for the good of everyone.

Keeping Your Mask On

While it may be hard for everyone to get used to wearing face coverings, it is essential in times when social distancing is forgotten. Face masks are meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected but does not have symptoms. In the same way, it will protect the wearer from those infected.

The coronavirus is invisible to the naked eye, which makes it very dangerous. Keep your mask on especially when talking to anyone, including the restaurant cashier when placing your order. Tiny droplets that come from an infected person’s mouth and nose are responsible for infecting others who come along and breathe them in.

Reducing Time Spent On Dining

As much as you want to be able to have the same experiences before COVID-19, it simply isn’t attainable at the moment. As you begin eating out at restaurants, keep the “new normal” in mind. It might seem frustrating to be locked up at home for months and you may badly want to catch up with your friends, but everyone is on the same boat.

Reduce the time you spend on dining to decrease the likelihood of getting exposed to the spread of diseases. Our country is not yet completely ready for people to just lounge inside restaurants. Balance the time between eating your favorite meals and keeping you and everyone around you safe.

Key Takeaway

Dining etiquette to follow during the new normal is all about decreasing close contact between people. If establishments reopen, they would have adapted the necessary hygiene practices for the safety of guests.

You can do your part by following these tips such as sanitizing your hands, going cashless, reducing the time spent on dining, maintaining social distancing, and keeping your mask on. Help stop the spread of the virus today.