How to be a considerate customer while dining out right now

This one should go without saying but unfortunately, when folks are feeling frustrated or nervous, it's easy to get a little tetchy. Exasperation is a natural response when struggling to check in or waiting for an overworked waiter to bring you your drinks. However, we urge you to take a deep breath and show a little compassion. Many restaurants are struggling to staff their venues and with vague and confusing rules about isolating, elusive rapid antigen tests causing close-contact bottlenecks, and “personal responsibilities” ringing in our ears, it’s not uncommon right now for restaurants to be running on a skeleton staff who are either inexperienced or pulling their third double shift for the week. Be patient and be kind.

The pandemic has robbed us of a lot in the last two years, including the joy of spontaneity. Between QR codes, vaccine passports and making sure your dining companions feel safe, popping down to your local has become less of a treat and more of an operation. Thanks to the aforementioned staffing crisis and square meter restrictions, if a venue can’t gauge how many covers are in for the night, the ripple effect becomes a massive headache. So do your fave eateries a favour and make a booking ahead of time. Wasted stock, understaffing, and social distancing are all factors that restaurateurs are agonising over at the moment and a surprise party of ten could spell chaos for everyone involved. Which brings us to our next point.

No shows have always been a thorn in the side of the restaurant industry. It’s much better form, at the very least, to cancel your visit in advance. If you need to nix your reservation for any reason, whether it be a positive swab test, updated regulations or you just don’t feel safe dining out, give as much notice as possible. Many restaurants have a non-refundable cancellation fee and it’s entirely at the venue’s discretion as to whether that is enforced, but if it is, try and be understanding of their situation. If they don’t have a fee, give as much notice as possible so that there’s a chance of rebooking that table.

A lot of restaurants adopted a set menu or limited selection over the pandemic, for myriad reasons. It keeps costs down, reduces the possibility of food wastage to a minimum, and takes a lot of pressure off your server. The set menu is likely to be a long-term side effect of the current climate so try and see the silver lining. You now get to sit back, relax, let someone else take care of the ordering and see the chef flex their skills with tried and trusted dishes, that often hero seasonality. It’s also not a bad time to consider opting for a bottle of wine that the whole table can enjoy, rather than complicated, time consuming cocktails and half a dozen different glasses per group. All you have to do is make sure the conversation is flowing. 

A symptom of the age we live in is that Instagram has become one of the most valuable tools in a restaurant's arsenal. A tile or story can be whipped up in moments to make urgent announcements regarding closures for cleaning, updated service hours or last-minute bookings to be snatched up. Check the socials and call ahead, even if online booking systems give the go-ahead. In fact, a valuable rule of thumb no matter where you're headed – be it for a slap-up meal, a night at the theatre, or a trip to a museum – is to check that the venue is indeed open. 

If you’re heading out on the town with a group, make sure you consider everyone’s situations. Some may be immunocompromised, some may have children too young to get jabbed, and some may be in the midst of very understandable anxiety struggles. If your group would prefer to eat outdoors, roll with it. If someone isn’t comfortable gathering in large groups, be gentle with them and don’t get upset if there are last-minute drop outs, just let the restaurant know. If you want to keep up to date, check out our guide to going out safely here.

If you loved your dinner, tell the world about it! Leave a positive review, post and tag on your social media, give recommendations to your pals. A little bit goes a long way and in an industry that is taking blow after blow, where hospitality workers are mentally and physically exhausted and prone to feeling undervalued, showing your support is a very welcome boost. As well as using your own social networks to big up a meal you loved, user-generated ratings on search engines are also powerful tools for restaurants, so yours could really help drive business to venues that need it.

Emotions are running high when it comes to venturing outside right now, and for good reason. But just because you've decided to stay in doesn't mean you can't still enjoy the restaurant you had been planning to visit. If you cancel your reservation to dine in, order take out from the same venue instead, if it's available. There are plenty of bars and restaurants offering awesome takeaway options. Many venues that pivoted to takeaway and delivery during lockdown have kept that part of their business going now that stay-at-home rules have been lifted, and by ordering in, you can still access a chef-prepared dish and support a local business while keeping peace of mind about your health.