Is this the future of outdoor dining, for the time being, at least?
ADVERTISEMENTIt's a dilemma that restauranters have been scratching their heads about: how to re-open to diners and stay safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
One venue in Amsterdam thinks it might have found a solution.
Mediamatic Biotoop, an art centre in the Dutch city, is putting outdoor diners in tiny greenhouses in bid to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The small greenhouses were built as an art project. But now they have been turned into private dining spaces.
Waiting staff wear protective equipment and serve food on long wooden planks. The greenhouses can hold a maximum of two people.
Willem Velthoven, director of the art centre, said the COVID-19 crisis had forced restaurants to "rethinking hospitality".
“Being together in large groups will probably be out of fashion for a while, but still, coming in a social situation and really enjoying things together is something that we long for even more,” said Velthoven.
The centre held a test event earlier this month and is planning on using the greenhouses again on 21 May and 27 June.
“In these times we are reinspired by contamination precautions and the redesign of togetherness," blurb for the event reads.
"Our greenhouses protect you from the outside and others while offering you a unique experience of intimate dining.”