Amsterdam Restaurant Offers Greenhouse Dining Experience Amid Coronavirus

With restaurants around the world are having to adapt to the current social distancing guidelines, people are wondering what adaptations these dining establishments will have to make going forward. Judging by the latest changes these restaurants have implemented, the dining experience for the foreseeable future is going to be quite different than the one we know. For example, some restaurants in China have placed plastic or glass dividers between diners. In Taiwan, McDonald’s will provide customers with the temperature of the employee who prepared your meal. Just recently, one restaurant in Amsterdam has decided to take these health safety measures a step further by assembling miniature greenhouses on its waterfront establishment so that diners can eat out while observing social distancing rules.

Dutch eatery Mediamatic Eten is known for its vegan cuisine. Now, they are also known for the unique dining experience that they are offering customers amidst the pandemic. The restaurant is has dubbed these compact enclosures “serres séparées”, which translates to separated greenhouses. Each of the five glass structures, which fit two diners each, offers a gorgeous waterfront view. On May 5th, the restaurant executed a test run of the greenhouse experience, offering customers the chance to give feedback on this new dining method. As diner Janita Vermeulen told Reuters, “It’s super cozy, it’s really cozy, it’s nice and the food is delicious.” Barring any setbacks, Mediamatic Eten plans to reopen on May 21.

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As Willem Velthoven of Mediamatic Eten told Reuters, “We are now learning how to do the cleaning, how to do the service, how to get the empty plates out again in an elegant way, so you still feel taken care of nicely.” In addition to providing diners with their own private greenhouse, waiters will don face masks and serve guests via a wooden board, in an effort to prevent any unnecessary contact between staff and guests. Currently, the restaurant is awaiting approval from Dutch authorities to commence their new dining service. In the meantime, eager customers can already visit the restaurant’s website and make a reservation for this unique greenhouse experience.