What to expect when restaurants reopen for dine-in from June 19 - if you can even get a reservation

After a two-month ban on dining in at hawker centres and restaurants in Singapore, the government has finally announced that all eateries can welcome dine-in customers from Friday (June 19).

The news was met with excitement by takeout-weary residents, and it showed, with restaurants reporting a surge in reservations almost immediately.

But hold your horses if you're planning to head out to celebrate Father's Day this weekend, or for any other reason for that matter.

With the expectation that masses will descend on restaurants and dining establishments islandwide, safety measures have been put in place to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus.

So don't be surprised if some things are not the way they used to be (say bye to Haidilao's communal condiments station, for one).

Here's what you may expect:

1. Limited capacity = disappointment

Yes, you may dine in at restaurants, but with social distancing in place (tables one-metre apart and dining capped at five persons per table), it is expected that seating will be limited. Eateries estimate that after implementing safety measures as required, dine-in capacity will be slashed by at least 50 per cent.

So if you haven't yet booked your table, you may have missed out on dining out weekend as restaurant booking platforms said their reservations surged overnight following the announcement on Monday (June 15).

Chope founder and chief executive Arrif Ziaudeen told The Business Times: "In the first few minutes of opening up reservations, we were getting one reservation every second."

Chope says it has since received close to 10,000 reservations, 80 per cent of which are for this weekend.

Eatigo said restaurant bookings are now back to around 50 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels, with two-thirds of current bookings for Friday till this weekend and the others for the following week.

Quandoo also told BT that it received almost one-third of the bookings it would normally receive on a Saturday in June. The "most booked" day so far is June 27 (next Saturday), and bookings for that day are double that for this Saturday.

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A check by 8 Days found that popular hotpot chain Haidilao is "almost fully booked" for the upcoming weekend, with other restaurants like Burnt Ends already fully booked till July.

One other reason why you probably won't be able to find a place to dine at this weekend — not all restaurants will accept dine-in customers on Friday.

Some, like TungLok Signatures in Clarke Quay Central and Changi City Point, LingZhi Vegetarian in Liat Towers, and Taste by TungLok in Park Regis Singapore, will only reopen from July 1.

Firebake and Buona Terra have also indicated that they won't be opening this Friday, with the latter opening on June 25. 

2. Digital menus, E-queueing

Restaurants are turning to digital means to limit interactions between staff and customers. 

At LeVel33, located at Marina Bay Financial Centre, there will be a new menu that is easier to order from to promote less interaction with the staff. 

Each table will be served by only one waiter and the restaurant will also install air purifiers on its premises.

The TungLok group will implement e-menus that diners can access on their mobile phones and provide paper bags for them to keep their masks while eating, among other safety measures, reported The Straits Times (ST). 

The White Restaurant's owner Victor Tay told ST that he is planning to implement e-queueing on Friday at his six outlets, as the eateries do not accept reservations. There are also plans to implement QR-code ordering and payment.

3. No buffets

Buffet-lovers will have to wait a little longer to indulge, as buffet restaurants are not on the list of F&B establishments that are permitted to open.

In the same vein, communal dining amenities such as semi-buffet and drinks dispensers will be suspended.

That means that the condiments station at Haidilao will not be open. And while you can cook your ingredients in the same pot, you have to use the communal serving utensils provided.

4. Delivery may be affected

To cope with the expected surge in dine-in customers, F&B operators may reduce delivery slots or halt deliveries.

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Yum Cha will cap incoming online orders at one-third of the amount it accepted during the circuit breaker period, said its deputy director Melody Tan. 

For fine dining establishment Les Amis, it will cease takeaways and deliveries after Sunday to focus on guests who are dining in the Michelin-starred French restaurant.

5. No discounts

According to an advisory for Phase 2 reopening of F&B establishments by government agencies, F&B establishments are to avoid activities that would attract crowds in and outside of their premises (for example, by providing special discounts or offers for dine-in), for at least two weeks from the start of Phase 2.

So don't expect restaurants to launch special promotions for dine-in customers anytime soon, but from the looks of it, the encouragement won't be needed.

candicecai@asiaone.com