Restaurants use mannequins and blow-up dolls to help with social distancing

‘Instead of using scary, yellow tape or roping off the empty tables, I thought, ‘We’re going to make this restaurant look full’’

The Open Hearth restaurant in South Carolina is using blow-up dolls to make the dining room feel busy and to help enforce with social distancing (6 ABC)

As lockdown restrictions are eased in some states, restaurants are coming up with unique ways in which to enforce social distancing while maintaining the impression of being busy.

Some are turning to artificial patrons in what may be one new aspect of dining out in the 2020s that no one saw coming. Described as being both “whimsical” and “creepy”, these are not the hosts from Westworld.

The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia has decided to seat well-dressed mannequins at tables they are unable to use in order to comply with new state regulations.

As per Governor Ralph Northam’s order, when the three-Michelin-star property reopens on 29 May the number of human guests will be limited to 50 per cent capacity.

The mannequins will be seated alongside human diners and will be costumed in the styles of the 1940s with the help of Arlington, Virginia’s Signature Theatre and Design Foundry.

“I’ve always had a thing for mannequins — they never complain about anything, and you can have lots of fun dressing them up,” said chef Patrick O’Connell.

Mr O’Connell told Departures that he saw the “interestingly dressed dummies” as a playful solution to the visual problem of a half empty venue.

“This would allow plenty of space between real guests and elicit a few smiles and provide some fun photo ops,” he said.

The Little Inn is not alone — a South Carolina restaurant has rolled out the same concept but with blow-up dolls.

When the owners of The Open Hearth began dine-in service again they also decided to make the restaurant look as full as they could.

They ordered ten “G-rated” blow-up dolls from Amazon and dressed them up as patrons — wigs and all, WYFF News 4 reported.

“Instead of using scary, yellow tape or roping off the empty tables, I thought, ‘We’re going to make this restaurant look full,’” owner Paula Starr Melehes said.

“My grandson told me they look kind of creepy,” Ms Melehes said. “But, I think, when people walk in, they’re going to laugh.”

The owners are following social distancing guidelines very seriously. After having had the restaurant professionally sanitised, they are spacing out customers — with the help of the dolls filling vacant booths — using disposable menus, and ensuring all employees wear masks.