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This Michelin-starred restaurant will fill its empty seats with mannequins

Is this the future of dining?

Morgan Olsen
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Morgan Olsen
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As cities across the country start planning to reopen, we're able to get a glimpse of what the future of dining could look like. At the only three-Michelin–starred restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area, things have taken a turn for the bizarre.

Anticipating opening at just 50 percent capacity, the Inn at Little Washington plans to populate its vacant tables with mannequins dressed up in 1940s-era clothing. Yes, life-sized plastic dolls sporting vintage garb. Celebrated chef-owner Patrick O'Connell is working with nearby Signature Theatre to get the look just right so that the mannequins blend in seamlessly with the restaurant's ornate dining room. To keep the act up, servers will reportedly serve the mannequins wine throughout the evening.

"I've always had a thing for mannequins—they never complain about anything and you can have lots of fun dressing them up," says O'Connell. "When we needed to solve the problem of social distancing and reducing our restaurant's occupancy by half, the solution seemed obvious—fill it with interestingly dressed dummies. This would allow plenty of space between real guests and elicit a few smiles and provide some fun photo ops."

The Inn at Little Washington, mannequins
Photograph: Courtesy The Inn at Little Washington

Pending any further delays to the state's reopening plan, the fine-dining destination hopes to start accepting reservations again on May 29. It's worth noting at the Inn at Little Washington is located in Washington, Virginia, a 70-mile drive from D.C. O'Connell's lavish, multi-course menu fetches just under $250 and includes gastronomically inclined dishes like the heart of smoked Scottish salmon encrusted with toasted nori and served with apple noodles and horseradish cream. The property, which is also home to 23 upscale guest rooms, was recently featured in a PBS documentary that premiered in March.

At first blush, the idea of dotting a dining room with dolled-up mannequins sounds downright crazy, but restaurant owners across the country will have to be more creative than ever before as they figure out how to open with reduced capacity. Just make sure your dining companions aren't freaked out by life-sized dolls before you book your table.

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