Dining out in China has drastically changed since lockdown restrictions have lifted, and it offers a glimpse into what lies ahead for US restaurants

AP Photo/Kin Cheung

• Restaurant owners in the US are wondering what life will look like when the country fully emerges from lockdown. 
• Many are looking toward China for direction as it slowly resumes normal life and dining out becomes an option again. 
• Restaurants across China and Hong Kong have made drastic changes to the dining experience, and in many places, temperature checks, masks, and plastic partitions between diners are now the norm.
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As normal life slowly resumes in China, the rest of the world is looking toward the east for pointers on what day-to-day life will look like elsewhere after the lockdown restrictions are lifted. 

This includes how consumers will dine out in the future and what restaurants need to do to make the experience safe for both customers and workers. 

Photographs taken in cities across China and Hong Kong reveal how drastically different it is to eat out now that businesses are reopening. Temperature checks, caps on restaurant capacity, and social distancing markers have become the norm in many places, for example. 

Here's what might lie ahead for the US:

Caps on restaurant capacity and limits to group sizes

Limits on restaurant capacity are likely to become commonplace as more eateries open up again in the US. 

In Hong Kong, restaurants are required by the government order to keep the capacity below 50% and restrict groups to four people only, for example. 

Restaurant owners who don't play by the rules risk being fined as much HK$50,000 ($6,450) or face six months in jail.

Permanent social distancing measures

Hong Kong restauranteurs are also required to keep a 1.5-meter space or more between each table to minimize crowding. 

It's likely that similar restrictions would come to the US, building on from social distancing markers that are currently being used in stores to keep shoppers at a safe distance. 

 

Temperature checks on arrival

In Hong Kong, temperature checks for both workers and customers are mandatory on arrival and at the point of leaving the restaurant. 

Temperature checks are already becoming more common in the US as restaurants reopen but haven't been mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• People are boycotting Costco for requiring shoppers to wear masks in stores — and it reveals the frightening misconceptions that still exist about the pandemic
• Texas is reopening retail stores and restaurants on Friday despite rising coronavirus death tolls in the state — here's a closer look at how the Lone Star State is preparing to reopen its economy
• UBS expects restaurant sales to plummet 40% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, undoing 20 years of growth for the industry as grocery stores dominate

SEE ALSO: Appointment-only stores, hand sanitizing stations, and robots stocking shelves: Here's how our shopping experience could change in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic

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