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Original poster

Would you eat out now (inside dining)?

251 replies

Featherstep · 10/10/2020 22:11

I really miss going out for a weekend cafe or pub lunch with my family but my husband thinks it's not worth the risk eating inside now that the virus is spreading again like wildfire. He's probably right - the last time we sat inside for a pub lunch (in August), I felt very uncomfortable being so close to the people at the next table.

Most outdoor seating gets booked up really quickly. I feel like for almost every outing since March we've brought packed picnic lunches. I am SO sick of packed sandwiches and would just love to sit down somewhere with warm food for once, just like pre-Covid times!

So just that really, are you comfortable going to lunch if it's going to be inside?

OP posts:
middleager · 11/10/2020 16:19

I keep seeing pictures on FB of friends eating out with their kids and reading posts on here saying of course you take the kids out, nothing to fear etc.

But aren't you concerned about Test & Trace contacting you and the kids losing out on school?

This is why we don't risk it - not the virus. I have two y10s at different schools in high risk inner city areas with multiple cases at school. One was sent back after just a week after a positive case in school. Home learning did not appear from the school on some days.

I can't control what happens in school, but I can minimise my social interactions to ensure the children don't miss out on school because of me. I'm only surprised that more parents don't seem bothered by this.

LaVitaPuoEsserePiuBella · 11/10/2020 16:23

Just home from a delicious lunch in a local restaurant with my children and parents (70s). We all really enjoyed ourselves, especially me as I had a big glass of wine and now don't need to cook dinner 😁

CathTurnbull · 11/10/2020 16:28

No way

Oliversmumsarmy · 11/10/2020 17:14

The one thing I looked forward to during lockdown was to sit in the sun in a pub garden with a cheese toastie and a cold drink.
It might not sound exciting but it was everything I hoped for.

What I have noticed is people seem to fall into 2 types.
Those that miss going out and socialising and take a view that the pubs and restaurants are safe places and those that don’t and say they would never dream of going as it just isn’t safe.

I went out as soon as the pubs opened. The dine out scheme was amazing and we all made full use of the offer and have been out several time’s since.

There was no spike when pubs opened.

I am under no illusion that dd with her friends were not SD. Her and her best friend (bf) probably ended up in non SD situations yet were both Covid free. (Dd takes random tests because of work)
Her bf went back to her shared house at her uni to an area that was locked down. Where nothing was open. The house group decided to have a party with all the housemates each night in the house. Not go out and even got a Tesco delivery to stop any of them going down with anything.

3 weeks in and they all have Covid.

They can’t understand where it has come from.

Iwouldbecomplex · 11/10/2020 17:19

Just come back from a lovely 3 course lunch in central manchester. Restaurant was busy but felt safe enough. I went for drinks first too. I have been eating out regularly and am happy to keep doing so whilst restaurants are open.

BrazenlyDefying · 11/10/2020 17:26

@Busybrain2020

No. I don't get the appeal at all. It's just food. Eat at home.
Someone else doing the cooking. Someone else putting the effort into devising a, menu, doing the shopping, testing the recipe, then doing all the washing up afterwards?

Nah, zero appeal. Best stay home with a ready meal. Just the same. Hmm

Willyoujustbequiet · 11/10/2020 17:33

No chance.

I think many people are sadly very naive about the risk

Frappuccinofan · 11/10/2020 18:07

I think many people are sadly very naive about the risk

Scaremongering at its finest.

The majority of people who have visited a restaurant have not magically developed COVID.

Iwouldbecomplex · 11/10/2020 18:16

Not naive about the risk. Just no longer willing to live this weird half life. Taking my chances.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 11/10/2020 18:18

@Willyoujustbequiet

No chance.

I think many people are sadly very naive about the risk

Every time I see the “Covid secure” mentioned I am Hmm if it can spread in hospitals in can spread anywhere.
vanillandhoney · 11/10/2020 18:25

No, because DH and I are both self-employed and would get no support at all if we had to self-isolate for a fortnight.

If I can't work, my clients will go elsewhere (probably permanently) and if it happens too often, I'll need to close my business. More than happy to get takeaway or eat outdoors though!

Lily193 · 11/10/2020 18:28

No. We took the opportunity to source some fabulous independent food suppliers and improve our cooking skills during lockdown so can't see us wanting to return to eating inside restaurants any time soon.

user1487194234 · 11/10/2020 18:28

Yes ,away this week and will be eating out every night,and some lunch times.
Can't wait

AuntieMarys · 11/10/2020 18:32

Just been in 3 separate restaurants. All great.

Spodge · 11/10/2020 18:34

Have eaten out about three times per week since the restaurants opened. Always in local, independent places that we dearly wish to survive. They are observing rules, have decent spacing etc and we feel quite safe. We have not been out in a group of more than two households and usually it is just us.

Willyoujustbequiet · 11/10/2020 18:36

Frap hardly scaremongering if as reported 30% of cases were from restaurants. Hmm

cathyandclare · 11/10/2020 18:40

@Willyoujustbequiet

Frap hardly scaremongering if as reported 30% of cases were from restaurants. Hmm
This is the latest surveillance from PHE
Would you eat out now (inside dining)?
HairyToity · 11/10/2020 18:44

We ate out three weeks ago, but not since. Decided to stick to outdoor activities from now on. I'm very glad others are prepared to eat out, and support the restaurant industry. I would hate for their to be a vaccine and all the businesses have gone, and we have nowhere to go.

NellWilsonsWhiteHair · 11/10/2020 18:45

Nope. I’ll eat out if I can sit outdoors in uncrowded space - in practice have prob only managed this about five times since Feb. Before that, in normal times, we’d out probably once every weekend, maybe twice.

We do order takeaway from various local indie places at least once a week now, so I don’t feel that I’m particularly depriving the industry of my custom.

I’m not ‘scared of the virus’, but I do think that indoor socialising is an avoidable high risk. I don’t want to participate in raising infection rates, and I don’t want to get stung by test and trace - DC are 8 and 2 and I’m a lone parent, so whilst I am WFH it would be exceptionally inconvenient to be stuck at home with kids again, and I don’t want DC1 missing out on school now they’re back.

I miss it, i miss the pleasantness of somebody else sorting it all out (even takeaway I still need to clear away etc) and I miss the easiness of just being able to pop into a cafe rather than carry bloody sandwiches everywhere.

PompomDahlia · 11/10/2020 18:45

I've been to restaurants twice and both felt safe. The first was very 'posh' so not many tables anyway, and they were all spaced out. They took our pudding order along with everything else at the start and didn't do the 'is everything ok with your meal' thing, so minimal contact with staff. Second place was a big spread out restaurant and not very busy.

I went to a pub and sat outdoors and really didn't enjoy it - quite a young (20-something) customer group mostly and some people were obviously a bit tipsy and wandering around and chatting to other tables. I wouldn't go back for a long time. I did a long drive through a big city just after 10pm the other day and saw so many people congregating outside the pubs at chucking out time which didn't seem very sensible

YouSetTheTone · 11/10/2020 18:46

@HairyToity but that IS precisely what you’re looking at. So why are you leaving it for others to keep those businesses afloat? There might not be enough of us.

MayFayre · 11/10/2020 18:48

My nearest eating out place is Nottingham, so no!

DobbyTheHouseElk · 11/10/2020 19:07

@onedayinthefuture

People worried about possibly catching Covid but probably didn't ever give a second thought as to who had touched the salt cellar or ketchup bottle when eating out before.....
You don’t know anyone with anxiety. I worry every time I go anywhere. I won’t touch sauce bottles.
Inkpaperstars · 11/10/2020 19:11

Agree Dobby I have always been very aware of bottles, door handles etc. I would not forget what I had touched (and then gone on to touch) till I had washed my hands or cleaned things.

NotAKaren · 11/10/2020 19:12

Last time I ate out was towards the end of EOTHO, very nice restaurant, great food but as the evening wore on it got busier and busier. Waiters frequently lifted their visors, as many a possible packed in with tables close together and twice they encouraged the whole restaurant to sing happy birthday to other diners who were celebrating Shock. I will not be going again.