Mumbai Unlock 5.0: Here's what it is to eat out in the new normal

Dinein services in the city finally resumed after six months with some restaurants going all out and others playing the waiting game Across the state more than four lakh restaurants opened their doors on Monday with every safety measure in place middays team of reporters fanned out across the city visiting 10 restaurants for a feel of what pandemic dining is like Eating out may never go back to what it used to beThe owner of Arya Bhavan Matunga East said only two people are allowed to sit at each tableMumbaikars were a cautious but excited lot as restaurants reopened for dinein even if at reduced capacities on Monday Many acknowledged with relief how normal it felt to be out again even for just a cup of coffee Read on to know more about citizens experiences and how restaurant owners fairedA waiter wearing a face shield at Durga Restaurant and Bar Matunga East on Monday PicsPradeep DhivarLa GwaLa Gwa at Versova did not score high on safety as among other things seating was not reduced to enable social distancinLa Gwa is a tiny cafeacute in Versova that gained popularity soon after its launch last year While this place had a footpedal sanitiser at the entrance there were no temperature checks nor were patrons details taken The seating remained the same as preCOVID times despite the cafeacute being very compact The two staff members on duty were not wearing masks or gloves Yet during middays visit four sets of customers flitted in and out within 30 minutesThe Lotus Cafeacute JW Marriott JuhuThe buffet at JW Marriott Juhus The Lotus CafeAt JW Marriott this reporter first had to get the Aarogya Setu app checked There was a 1 pm reservation at The Lotus Cafeacute and this reporter was allowed inside only when the app reflected greenThe cafeacute had a contactless auto sensor sanitiser an attendant who sanitised patrons bags checked temperatures and took contact detailsA few guests were seen loitering without masksCutlery was laid at The Lotus Cafe after patrons satThere was no sanitiser inside the restroom Before being guided to the seat this reporter had to give contact details at the cafeacutes reception Inside the staff was preparing for the buffet All food was covered with cloches the staff wore hand gloves and face shields the menu was to be accessed on the mobile through a QR code the link also served for online paymentTables were laid out with cutlery and glasses were filled only after this reporter was seated The cafeacutes 210 seats have been reduced to 73The hand sanitiser at JW Marriott JuhuA gong went off every hour reminding staff to sanitise their stations and tables The buffet did not have cold salads and most of the items were live counters A server manned every counter patrons were not to touch the utensils and would be served on their platesAlfredos JuhuIn the afternoon most restaurants were empty midday took a seat at the outdoor section Patrons were not allowed to sit for more than 30 minutes However there was no digital ordering no sanitiser or temperature checks and this reporter leftSequel BandraCustomers wait for their takeaway order at SequelSequel a casual dining eatery that specialises in organic local food was one of the first few Bandra restaurants to reopen on Monday At 3 pm this reporter was the only patron There were temperature checks hand sanitisers Tables were arranged at a distance of three feet The mood was relaxed and the servers wore masks and gloves midday was offered a choice of filtered or bottled water However menus were physical and cash payments were accepted Chef and entrepreneur Karishma Sakhrani who had stopped by for coffee said she is looking forward to dining out againThe floors were regularly cleaned and each table was sanitised as diners came and left Founder Vanika Choudhary said that although there was some apprehension about consuming raw vegetables at the beginning of the lockdown most diners have eagerly ordered salads and smoothie bowls since She expects the trend to continue for dineinLeaping Windowsmiddays Shunashir Sen at Leaping Windows Versova PicSameer MarkandeLeaping Windows at Versova was armed with a footpedal sanitiser temperature checks and was taking patrons details midday visited the laidback Versova eatery an hour after it reopenedEvery alternate table had a pile of books on them which reduced the seating capacity and showcased titles on sale for charity The restaurant offered QR codebased menus For those who dont have the requisite app the restaurant asked patrons to check it on ZomatoLeaping Windows had allowed for ample space for distancingA host of new items have been added to the menu that coowner Bidisha Basu revealed they worked on during the lockdown While the servers wore gloves and masks the restaurant also urged patrons to pay on Google PayBasu added that they opted for a soft reopening to get all the nuts and bolts in place again Once that is done soon there may be regular patrons flocking back to Leaping WindowsMadhavi Rao actor who visited La Gwa and Priyanka Charan writer and actorDurga Restaurant and BarUmesh Shetty owner of Durga Restaurant and Bar with his son Anish PicPradeep DhivarAnish Shetty 25 whose family owns and runs Durga Restaurant and Bar said they were hosting selective customers they would be fully functional on Tuesday The restaurant checked temperatures and oxygen levels gave a Google document to fill personal details and kept diagonally opposite tables functional We are serving only packaged water There will be no salt vinegar or side serves as small containers cannot be properly sanitised We have also removed raw vegetables usually served before or with the food said AnishFor an oldschool restaurant like theirs menu is not a problem They have a digital menu and an oral menu where waiters tell the customer what is available Anish added that while they offer payment options like GPay Paytm and other UPI modes customers are most comfortable with cashThe biggest challenge according to Anishs father Umesh 58 is to operate with onefourth staff From 30 staffers we are down to 810 This is will make service slower We expect 1015 per cent of our original customer base to come in the first few weeks but even that is a challenge The staff has also been retrained to take on new responsibilitiesArya Bhavan Matunga EastA patron gets his temperature checked at Arya Bhavan restaurant in Matunga East PicsPradeep DhivarThe 11year old Arya Bhavan restaurant had a fairly long queue on Monday It had a hand sanitiser dispenser temperature and oxygen level checks staff wearing masks and only packaged waterNavin Muthu Krishnan owner Arya BhavanOur space is small so it is difficult to maintain onemetre distance We have reduced occupancy of each table from six to two said its owner Navin Muthu Krishnan 30The Village Shop BandraThe Village Shop at Chimbai had created space by stacking away chairs and tables at one sideThe Village Shop in Chimbai had stacked tables and chairs at one side to create space Its staff too checked temperatures asked patrons to sanitise hands and recorded patrons detailsThe crockery was replaced with disposable items and menus were paper printouts Customers had to dispose of plates cups and menus after diningThe restaurant trimmed its menu and has kept only trusted staples Servers also mentioned that many customers are shying away from salads and other raw vegetables preferring thoroughly cooked foodThe mood was optimistic and three other tables were occupied when midday visited The staff was polite but firm in restricting customers movement Some customers had brought laptops but restricted their stay to the duration of a cup of coffeeBlogger and marketing professional Rupesh Kadam said that he had been looking forward to visiting restaurants I have been ordering in throughout the lockdown I intend to dine out at least twice a week focusing on hygienic restaurants and cafeacutes It gives a muchneeded sense of normalcy Kadam saidCoffee By Di Bella JuhuCoffee by Di Bella gave the option to order and pay onlineCoffee By Di Bella had only one table occupied The place looked dull and in need of a spring clean Every alternate table was cordoned off there was the option to order and pay onlineWhile the staff was efficient and worked in tandem midday chose to leave with a takeaway as the place looked beatBayview ChurchgateJuhubased blogger Sucheta Thakur who visited Marine Plaza at Churchgate on Sunday recounted her experience to midday A friend and I visited Marine Plaza where our temperature wasnt checked the bottle of sanitiser was nearly empty While only onethird of Bayview restaurant was operating five tables were placed in a cluster The restaurant took our contact number to send us the menu but there was no digital payment so we paid in cash The experience did not feel completely safeAlso ReadMumbai Unlock 50 Many restaurants play safe stick to deliveryonlySwadesh VersovaSunny H a radio professional was satisfied with his experience at Swadesh popular for its South Indian fare in Versova We stopped for a filter coffee at 930 am The restaurant was full and the staff was making efforts to sanitise the premises Food was served in disposable containers and packing up leftovers was banned Tables were reduced It was great to be able to go out eat fresh food at a restaurant I could see that the staff was struggling to adapt but they impressed us with their efforts Sunny saidKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news