As comfort food takes over, will we ever want white tablecloth dining again?

The pandemic ushered in a new level of dining, from revamped drive-through options to family packs of comfort food to home-cooked meals. So did it kill off fine dining? Experts say the white tablecloth experience is not dead yet — but it has been forced to evolve.

“Drive-thru, delivery, curbside, and other off-premises options were perceived as safer by customers during the early stages of Covid. We were all eating in our cars. So these channels simply surged to the forefront of consumer preference, and restaurants responded,” said Danny Klein, editorial director of Food News Media, in an email.

In addition, customers are adding on trips to the same restaurant, choosing to dine in out on Friday but then also getting their favorite meal"to go" on Tuesday. The interconnected “reefs” of the various dining ecosystems and price points were hit by a collective tragedy of the pandemic, said Adam Platt, food critic for New York Magazine.

“Restaurants are a very resilient, hard-working industrious group of people,” Platt said. “It’s a battle for them in the best of times. Right now it’s a war of attrition." He has seen and implemented changes. Party sizes are smaller and business demand is off. Valet service is postponed as guests don’t want strangers in their cars. Guests may be slightly late for reservations due to waiting 20 minutes for an Uber or driving around looking for parking. Diners are more inclined to want to sit outside on nice days. Following a surge in the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, he said many restaurants had seen about a 20 percent falloff.

NBC keep your political correction. You should say Taliban lives matter!

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Restaurants Become the New Covid-19 Vaccine Enforcers—for Better or WorseDining out in some places now requires proof of Covid-19 vaccination, putting workers in tough spots, but some owners say they will do whatever it takes to avoid another shutdown. You'd have to live in a cave not to know the rules! Is it because the rule is unnecessary? Probably! Eating out multiple times a week for months. Yet another way to separate and divide our great nation
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »

The Irony of Writers Who Dress Well'Writing isn’t the glamorous profession it once was, nor is there any promise that it ever again will be.'
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

The Irony of Writers Who Dress Well'Writing isn’t the glamorous profession it once was, nor is there any promise that it ever again will be.'
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

The Irony of Writers Who Dress Well'Writing isn’t the glamorous profession it once was, nor is there any promise that it ever again will be.'
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

The Irony of Writers Who Dress Well'Writing isn’t the glamorous profession it once was, nor is there any promise that it ever again will be.'
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

Afghan journalist hiding in fear says U.S. 'betrayed' country as Taliban takes control'This was the most irresponsible act, ever. It's just like taking us and putting us before wolves.' ....what a difference a week makes.. Just a reminder that on July 22, 2021, these 16 Members of Congress, all Republican, voted AGAINST evacuating our Afghan interpreters and their families. Corruption and and an inept Afghanistan government over 40 years is the root cause. The United States came because Bush & 9/11 brought us there.
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »