In 2019, American diners spent an estimated $863 billion in restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association — revealing the enormous role dining out plays in our social lives. So, when the pandemic shuttered restaurants for months, their closures left a keenly felt gap and had many wondering: what does a world affected by COVID-19 hold for the future of restaurants?
![Amsterdam's Mediamatic Biotoop restaurant](https://www.wuw.ch/app/uploads/2020/09/Bildschirmfoto-2020-09-28-um-21.25.48-1024x586.png)
Amsterdam’s Mediamatic Biotoop restaurant is trialling five glass pods at its canal-side location.
“Creativity has always been at the heart of the restaurant industry,” says Shayne Brady, cofounder of design studio, BradyWilliams, whose clients include Harrods and Corbin & King (owner of renowned London establishments, including The Wolseley and The Delaunay). “It’s woven into every aspect of running a successful establishment, from devising each dish, to the color of the walls and staff uniforms.”
![Beach huts on a private stretch of Cornwall’s coastline transformed into secluded dining rooms](https://www.wuw.ch/app/uploads/2020/09/Bildschirmfoto-2020-09-28-um-21.30.51-1024x766.png)
These iconic beach huts on a private stretch of Cornwall’s captivating coastline have been transformed into secluded dining rooms, and are thoroughly sanitized between bookings.
Brady continues: “Dining out often includes an element of seeing and being seen, of being somewhere exciting, so creating socially distanced spaces, which still fulfill that brief, can be a challenge. The wonderful thing is that we’re seeing some very creative solutions, with many restaurants finding ways of adding warmth and conviviality to a space, even when the tables are far apart.”
![The Barn restaurant, in Cambridgeshire, U.K](https://www.wuw.ch/app/uploads/2020/09/Bildschirmfoto-2020-09-28-um-21.31.31-1024x772.png)
The Barn restaurant, in Cambridgeshire, U.K., has installed Perspex bubbles for diners.
Read more about Amsterdam’s Mediamatic Biotoop restaurant, which is trialling five glass pods at its canal-side location, The Barn restaurant, in Cambridgeshire, U.K., which has installed Perspex bubbles for diners and many more in the original article on luxurydefined.