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Restaurants in the Canadian city of Montréal received a mixed bag of news this week with the announcement of extended closures by the Quebecois government, led by premier Francois Legault. Due to COVID case numbers – which are flat in Quebec, but still high, and going up dramatically in the United States – Montréal restaurants will be forced to remain closed for at least another four weeks, through November 23rd. Unsurprisingly, restaurateurs are not pleased, with some airing their disagreements on social media. Many take issue with the fact that restaurants have been forced to close, while many retail outlets are allowed to remain open to a certain degree. However, there is some good news, in the form of financial assistance for restaurants.

The United States is now in day 223 of the Coronavirus pandemic that brought the world's economies to screatching halts. While we've learend a lot about how much wearing masks and socially distancing can help keep us safe, consumers are still leery. New market research shows that despite many states allowing businesses to reopen — even movie theatres and gyms in some locations people are still largely avoiding activites we used to regard as normal and safe.

Restaurants and the aforementioned gyms and theatres have been hit especially hard, despite going to great lengths to make dining as safe as possible in the face of COVID-19. USA Today quotes industry newsletter Restaurant Dive, who says that "Restaurants now reflect the highest total number of business clossures". The National Restaurant Association estimates that about 100,000 restaurants nationwide have permanently closed, unable to survive the initial "temporary" closures that dragged on for months. While many businesses were able to pivot, at least somewhat successfullly, to new business models including delivery and takeout, many were not able to sustain their operations.

Consumers have slowly been moving towards more sustainable products and practices for decades now, with efforts ranging from high-level federal regulations, all the way to individual efforts like the improved multi-use products, composting, and trendy sustainable agriculture. In the era of Covid, some of those sustainable practices are going out the window in the name of sanitation and safety. Specifically, the use of single-use containers and plastic-ware is on the rise as more diners opt for delivery and take-out service. With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down in the U.S., we could be poised to reverse some of the environmental progress that has been made as we all adjust to life without in-restaurant dining

In the medical field, single-use plastics are common and a necessary part of ensuring safety. When sanitation, cost and efficiency are the primary concerns, disposable materials make sense. There is much less margin for error with disposables than with more durable items that have to be sanitized between uses. With a widespread contagious disease like COVID-19, it makes sense that businesses are looking to the same methods as hospitals; no one wants their restaurant to be the source of the next local outbreak. In a busy restaurant environment, disposable options also save staff the time and hassle of having to thoroughly sanitize utensils, napkins, plates, and other items that may normally be reused. Time is money, and when restaurants are operating at half capacity, or even less in areas where indoor dining is still prohibited, less time spent washing and sanitizing can feel like it makes a difference. However, disposable materials are more expensive in the long run compared to reusable items, so it’s not as though restaurateurs are recouping profits. On top of that, by some measures single-use items are not actually any better at preventing the spread of viruses that are properly sanitized reusable options. Studies cited by plastics-industry manufacturers are usually based around other contaminants, not COVID. Regardless of whether single-use plastics are more or less sanitary, it’s hard to argue that they aren’t more convenient for takeout. How can you serve a salad with dressing, or tacos with salsa, without those small plastic containers? In those cases, there simply aren’t great or affordable alternatives. In the current situation where so many more diners are forced or voluntarily opting to eat at home, all those food containers can add up quickly. In some studies, food containers, fast food packaging, and drink bottles are some of the most prolific types of plastic litter found on beaches. And those results are pre-covid, when many cities and countries were working on reducing plastic waste. A key issue when talking about any type of plastic is recyclability. As the Wall Street Journal notes, many of the types of plastics that are being used more frequently during the pandemic are precisely the types that are hard to recycle, such as thin plastic bags and single use wrappers. While many companies are producing items made from recycled materials, and even making compostable food containers, the lack of recyclability means that tons of waste inevitably end up in landfills and the environment at large. There is no one great answer to these issues. Restaurants are going to have to continue to focus on takeout during the pandemic if they want to stay afloat, and they are putting in their best efforts to provide a safe experience for diners. As with everything COVID related, there is a learning curve that everyone has had to go through. As we settle into this post-COVID world, solutions will emerge, but for the near future it looks like we can expect to see a lot more plastic waste.

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In the era of COVID, outdoor dining is going to become more important than ever for restaurants who have been struggling through the pandemic. That is why we are so excited about our latest indoor / outdoor chair, the All-Weather Ladder Back Chair. These sturdy chairs are made to withstand the rigors of restaurant and hotel use, while also providing a stylish and comfortable seating option. They are built with outdoor use in mind, and are made from injection-molded propylene that is strong enough to be used outdoors year-round, in any weather, with only light cleaning required. These chairs are virtually indestructible, and feature a single piece frame that can support up to 500 lbs. 

The San Francisco district attorney’s office has set its sights on the largest delivery service in the US, DoorDash. The city is suing the start-up food delivery service, alleging unfair business practices and worker misclassification. The worker misclassification accusation makes sense, California recently clarified state laws regarding worker classification (whether a worker is an employee or contractor). California is actually the first state in the nation to pass laws surrounding worker misclassification, and recently filed similar lawsuits against Uber and Lyft (in fact, as reported by The Verge, DoorDash is actually helping fund Uber & Lyft’s effort to stymie the law).

With states and counties throughout the country now allowing restaurants and bars to partially or fully resume business, many business owners and customers are wondering what dining looks like in a COVID-19 laden world. We’ve posted a few things with tips and speculations, but the state of California has released a document with some firm guidance for hospitality businesses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also released guidance specifically for restaurants. Keep reading for more details on what you’ll need to do to make sure your business is compliant. 

Start-up style delivery services like Grubhub, UberEats and DoorDash are all coming into focus during the pandemic, as would-be restaurant goers settle for eating their favorite takeout at home. It’s been known for some time now that these services are all funded by venture capital, and rarely (if ever) turn a profit. That start-up mentality leads to a lot of pressure for growth, sometimes at the expense of the service’s restaurants and users. A new BuzzFeed News post is pointing a finger at GrubHub. The service has been hijacking restaurant’s online information, leading to GrubHub charging restaurants outrageous commissions for orders that really should have nothing to do with the delivery service.

It has now been emonths since one of the United State’s most populous cities enacted one of the first shelter-in-place mandates in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. California, with the largest economy of any state, has been shut down for nearly as long. While people around the country are just getting used to staying home full time, some locations like Georgia are already looking to reopen restaurants and other businesses. While there are still more questions than answers about what dining out will look like post COVID-19, we can look around the nation and the globe for clues as to how business owners and regulators will handle the increased need for space and sanitation. Today.com asked some experts to weigh in on what restaurants are doing, what regulators are planning, and what we can look forward to in the coming months as we all try to get back to normal.

Social distancing is bound to end up as the buzz word of 2020. With so many people staying home, either alone or with family, now seems like a good time to compile our favorite recipes! If we’re going to be stuck at home, we may as well be eating, right? We asked around the www.tablebases.com office to see what our staff is cooking while they are social distancing. Spoiler alert: most of us are making warm, heavy, comfort food dishes. Keep reading to see the recipes that are helping us cope during this very strange time.

Side note, although we should be minimizing exposure to other people, restaurants are still trying to stay afloat. So in between making these fabulous recipes, make sure you take advantage of your favorite eatery's take-out options if you are able!