I realize this title is a little misleading, as I have no advice for dating in the 21st century (sooo glad I met my hubby in college!). I’m talking about date-night! I’m a huge advocate for “dating your spouse,” so when everything shut-down we really missed our bi-weekly date nights. I know there is more to dating then going out to eat, but … well, we really like good food! Or good beer … good wine … good cocktails … you get it, so we love trying out new restaurants, breweries, etc.
When restaurants started to open up I was a little freaked out, I definitely wasn’t going to be first in line. However, as we’ve slowly started to venture out I’ve noticed some restaurants are going above and beyond taking exceptional precautions for your safety.
If you are looking for a safe dining experience here are a few things to look for in a restaurant:
- Outdoor seating
- Tables spaced at least 6 feet from other tables
- To put it into perspective, pre-COVID dining standards were 2.5 feet
- Reservations required**
- Time limit on reservation**
- Most are 90 minutes
- Masks required, with the exception of being seated at your table
- Disposable or online menus
**This ensures they are able to manage the number of patrons and allows time for proper cleaning
Websites should call-out what they are doing to sustain a clean safe dining environment, and if they don’t it might be a red flag.
Lastly, you can expect to pay a little more. It’s simply supply/demand. Food costs are higher so restaurants have to charge more. They also need to offset the price of less patrons. Many charge a 5% service fee for added cleaning precautions or up to a 25% surcharge which also includes gratuity.
If you still aren’t ready to venture out for date night that is totally okay! Most 5 star restaurants now offer take-out, so think of some places you’ve been wanting to go and order take-out instead!
I’ve added “Date Night” to my Instagram highlights, so check-in periodically for updates on our favorite spots around the Twin Cities! I’ll only be posting places I feel adhere to a safe dining experience.
Comment below with any high safe-standard restaurants you recommend!
Happy date night!
SS
2 Comments
Twin Spirits Distillery! Their process is so safe and easy to follow AND they’ve turned their whole parking lot into an outdoor venue! So lovely to enjoy delicious cocktails at a generous distance from other patrons.
Chelsea, thank you so much for reading and for your awesome recommendation! I will definitely check them out!!