Here’s what I hope happens when we dine out again

• By Phantom Diner

If all goes well, there’s a good chance we all can return to in-person restaurant dining soon.

I, for one, have missed the experience at a level that matches being separated way too long from a very close lifetime friend.

Take-out’s OK, but just not the same. It’s OK foodwise, but not feel-wise. Just like FaceTime and Zoom with loved ones is OK, but not the same.

When it comes to people and, for me, restaurants, the experience of being there is the thing.

Remember, the word “restaurant” has origins in the French verb restaurer meaning to revive, to restore, to renew. And that, maybe now more than ever in our collective lives, sounds like a very good thing.

We know restaurants have been financially wrecked by the spread and fears of COVID-19; and, sadly, many will close for good. Plus, we can reasonably assume that even as a return to in-person dining is permitted, there will be at least some public reluctance to it.

That should mean continued demand for online ordering, take-out and delivery, which is fine since that gives more options for restaurants at a time they need them.

But no matter what, the start-up of in-person dining clearly presents a different experience. Smaller capacity indoors, tables further apart, more summertime outdoor seating, disposable menus, masked servers, lots of sanitizer and so on.

It likely will take some getting used to. Hopefully, it won’t last.

Either way, good things can come from change. And here are some things that could be good for both restaurants and their patrons.

First and foremost, there could be and should be a far greater appreciation for what it takes to acquire, prepare and serve quality food.

The lockdown experience, I suspect, taught many people, who maybe never have had to cooked much, that eating, even eating rather than dining, takes more than pulling into a parking lot at some chain place on the Carlisle Pike.

I hope now that good restaurant meals are received with more thoughtful gratitude than was extended in the past.

Also, keep in mind that restaurants reopening at a time of such uncertainty face challenges even beyond issues of finance and physical distancing.

In a series of interviews with chefs and foodies published by, among others, Food & Wine and Forbes, it’s noted that post-lockdown diners almost certainly will expect more offerings of healthy and organic foods.

This the result of so much emphasis on susceptibility to viral illness by those who are overweight or who suffer from diet-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Again, this could be a good result. Maybe we eat better. Maybe we don’t overeat.

Which reminds me of an argument I’ve made for a very long time regarding portions. Too many restaurants fail to offer half-size entrees, opting instead to serve the same amount of food to a 300-pound patron as to a 100-pound patron.

With small-plates already a big part of dining out, half-portion entrees should fit right in. Especially, as restaurants seek less waste, more kitchen efficiency and, let’s face it, faster table turnover.

There’s also talk of more restaurants adopting a no-tipping policy.

This makes sense give that servers will have fewer tables, hence fewer tips. Instead of tipping, a dining-service fee and equalized hourly wage levels could help smooth out any pay equity issues between restaurant front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house employees. And, for diners, no more math on napkins, tablecloths or mobile phones.

Most of all, though, I hope what happens when we dine out again is the same thing I’ve always hoped for every dining experience.

And that, dear reader, is the best possible give and take between diner and server. A mutual respect.

A presumption on the part of the server that this meal is the evening’s, maybe the week’s or even the month’s entertainment for those at my table. And a firm understanding on the part of the diner that this server is entitled to courtesy and, if required, patience. Because who knows what’s going on in his or her kitchen, or life.

Service, to my mind, is at the top of the list of reasons to dine out. And service in a time of pandemic, when almost everyone to some degree has been or still is frayed, is challenging on many levels.

So, I hope all restaurant patrons are treated as if they are guests dining in a well-kept private home. Rather than as if they are eating in the timed shifts of an institutional cafeteria. In other words, may restaurants be restorative.