As restaurants across the country map out their reopening plans, many are getting creative with helping their diners maintain social distancing practices. At Fish Tales Bar & Grill in Ocean City, Maryland, the solution is quite literal. Guests will be able to strap into "bumper tables," wheeled devices that are surrounded by inflatable inner tubes. The tables keep people six feet apart while still allowing for friendly chatter—think bumper cars minus the motor.
Fish Tales owners Shawn and Donna Harman purchased 10 tables up front but plan to add to their fleet over the coming weeks. Though the restaurant is still closed to dine-in guests, a handful of employees took the new equipment for a spin over the weekend. (Yes, there's footage—check it out below.) The restaurant's 3,000-square-foot parking lot will provide open space for guests to bump around when they get the go-ahead to reopen.
As it turns out, Fish Tales probably won't be the only restaurant to use the contraptions. Baltimore-based company Revolution Event Design & Production dreamed up the idea as a creative solution for folks to maintain social distancing at events and venues. Bumper tables are now available to be ordered and customized nationwide, among other products that enforce social distancing with a hint of humor.
And while there's no rule book for how businesses can successfully bounce back, these bumper tables are a first glimpse at the innovations to come.
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