Permanent Industry Changes in the Post-COVID World

[VTKilarney]

About two or three months ago Dr. Levine said that he could count on one hand the number of Covid cases traced to dining in a Vermont restaurant. The kitchen staff is another story - and restaurants had better distancing back then. But it was still surprising.

 

[abc]

I already know of at least one popular restaurant in the MRV area that went back to take-out only. Wouldn't at all be surprised to see more follow suit.

I wouldn't be too heart broken about that.

One thing I started doing during the peak of pandemic was figure out how to cook just about everything in a microwave. Because I was driving back from Colorado to NY. I had to eat, but restaurant was suspect at that point...

Turns out there's a lot you can do with just a microwave.

Since then, I've actually fallen in love with take outs. I'm not talking about cheap Chinese/Mexican ones. But REAL restaurants doing curbside take out of some of their regular dishes. Good food, not exactly cheap. But I get to eat it at my leisure without the waitress constantly asking if my water needs refilling!

So between curbside take out of decent restaurants and microwave recipes, I'm eating better than previous years. And a little less expensive too. Though the last point isn't super significant. Being able to eat my dinner in my pajamas is just more relaxing than having to wait for a table, wait for my food then wait to get the check!

 

[boston_e]

I wouldn't be too heart broken about that.

One thing I started doing during the peak of pandemic was figure out how to cook just about everything in a microwave. Because I was driving back from Colorado to NY. I had to eat, but restaurant was suspect at that point...

Turns out there's a lot you can do with just a microwave.

Since then, I've actually fallen in love with take outs. I'm not talking about cheap Chinese/Mexican ones. But REAL restaurants doing curbside take out of some of their regular dishes. Good food, not exactly cheap. But I get to eat it at my leisure without the waitress constantly asking if my water needs refilling!

So between curbside take out of decent restaurants and microwave recipes, I'm eating better than previous years. And a little less expensive too. Though the last point isn't super significant. Being able to eat my dinner in my pajamas is just more relaxing than having to wait for a table, wait for my food then wait to get the check!

I’ve got to admit, I saved more money through quarantine from cooking at home more often than I ever would have imagined. (We still made an effort to support locally owned restaurants getting takeout once a week). I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating out at the same frequency that I did pre Covid . I bet I’m not the only one.

 

[abc]

I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating out at the same frequency that I did pre Covid . I bet I’m not the only one.

Given how long a wait for tables in many restaurants, they would do well by doing some take outs too.

(granted, some restaurants are constrained by the kitchen output. But for all the others, they'll do well treating take out as "taster menu". A few restaurants I never ate in due to not able to get a table, having tasted their "taster menu" on take out, I'm more motivated to try to find a table to eat in. (ok, maybe after the Delta variant outbreak blows over).

 

[cdskier]

I wouldn't be too heart broken about that.

One thing I started doing during the peak of pandemic was figure out how to cook just about everything in a microwave. Because I was driving back from Colorado to NY. I had to eat, but restaurant was suspect at that point...

Turns out there's a lot you can do with just a microwave.

Since then, I've actually fallen in love with take outs. I'm not talking about cheap Chinese/Mexican ones. But REAL restaurants doing curbside take out of some of their regular dishes. Good food, not exactly cheap. But I get to eat it at my leisure without the waitress constantly asking if my water needs refilling!

So between curbside take out of decent restaurants and microwave recipes, I'm eating better than previous years. And a little less expensive too. Though the last point isn't super significant. Being able to eat my dinner in my pajamas is just more relaxing than having to wait for a table, wait for my food then wait to get the check!

I actually enjoy cooking and am quite good at it and have always cooked at home for most of my meals every week even pre-pandemic. That doesn't change the fact that I still enjoy the experience of going out and dining at a good restaurant once in a while. Takeout is not even close to the same experience. I supported many of my favorite local restaurants in VT via takeout last winter (and have done the same in NJ throughout most of the pandemic). I'm sure I saved some money in VT last year (primarily because I was supplying the wine myself in my condo vs getting it at the restaurant on the nights I did takeout). In NJ I don't think my food spending is that different though. Many of my favorite local restaurants in NJ are BYOB, so the alcohol cost is the same to me whether I'm dining at the restaurant or getting takeout from them.

 

[JimG.]

I’d say lock it and stfu. You’re not adding value to the thread by always complaining about it. Kill it.

My wife came home and I lost track of this BS after I said your wish is my command.

You seem very uptight and rude. Not to mention a bully. Who wants "to get in on" your discussions? Not me.

STFU? I will. And not lock this thread it's a monument to everything wrong in the world today. Closed minded people with no tolerance for other opinions.

 

[drjeff]

With all this aside - it seems pretty clear that by this winter we will not be in a post Covid world.

I'm going to predict that this winter we won't see much different from usual in the outdoor part of things. The one possible exception i can think of might be gondola capacity if numbers really begin to spike again.

I would not be at all surprised to see some sort of capacity limits in lodges and shops. Potentially proof of vaccination or negative test required in some situations (apres ski bars / lounges come to mind as a possible spot for this).

The question is will one, objectively, look at this then as a PANDEMIC, or and ENDEMIC?

At some point, the vast majority of society, regardless of the fear inducing click bait headlines the media keeps pushing, has to just say that they're done being scared and are ready to live their lives with the very minimal risk for most, again. And at that point society will dictate to our political leaders that we're done with their exacerbant control over our day to day lives..

 

[deadheadskier]

Did you miss the part where I said, "I don't think that there is much more Biden can do," or are you just such a partisan hack that you expect everyone to ignore that I said that?

Crawl out of your tribal shelter, my friend. Those of us who are moderates are embarrassed by how partisan things have become.

You can't take a two paragraph political dump and claim "non partisan moderate' with a small sentence solid to Biden. Lol. Not fooling anyone bud

Again, your lack self awareness is comical and you just proved it more with this comment

 

[boston_e]

The question is will one, objectively, look at this then as a PANDEMIC, or and ENDEMIC?

At some point, the vast majority of society, regardless of the fear inducing click bait headlines the media keeps pushing, has to just say that they're done being scared and are ready to live their lives with the very minimal risk for most, again. And at that point society will dictate to our political leaders that we're done with their exacerbant control over our day to day lives..

I dont know anyone who is scared and pretty much everyone I know is more or less living normally.

People can live normally and still support things like adding the Covid vaccine to the list of required immunizations to attend schools, or choose to support business that require vaccination for their employees or patrons.

That stuff isn’t government control over our lives. That is the carrot and stick method to encourage the irresponsible group of people who have not yet gotten vaccinated to do so.

Bottom line is the vaccine is the solution to this pandemic. Anyone who is not a part of the solution is part of the problem.

 

[boston_e]

I actually enjoy cooking and am quite good at it and have always cooked at home for most of my meals every week even pre-pandemic. That doesn't change the fact that I still enjoy the experience of going out and dining at a good restaurant once in a while. Takeout is not even close to the same experience. I supported many of my favorite local restaurants in VT via takeout last winter (and have done the same in NJ throughout most of the pandemic). I'm sure I saved some money in VT last year (primarily because I was supplying the wine myself in my condo vs getting it at the restaurant on the nights I did takeout). In NJ I don't think my food spending is that different though. Many of my favorite local restaurants in NJ are BYOB, so the alcohol cost is the same to me whether I'm dining at the restaurant or getting takeout from them.

I too have always enjoyed cooking meals as well and think I have some specialties. Definitely amazing though how much one can save eating in or “brown bagging” it for lunch.

 

[cdskier]

I too have always enjoyed cooking meals as well and think I have some specialties. Definitely amazing though how much one can save eating in or “brown bagging” it for lunch.

Lunch is a good point, although the prices in our cafeteria at work are subsidized by my company, so actually relatively cheap (and that's where I would eat most of the time when I was going to the office...only would eat lunch out once in a while). The real savings for me is on gas and tolls by working remotely and not having to go to the office!

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I wouldn't be too heart broken about that.

One thing I started doing during the peak of pandemic was figure out how to cook just about everything in a microwave. Because I was driving back from Colorado to NY. I had to eat, but restaurant was suspect at that point...

Turns out there's a lot you can do with just a microwave.

Since then, I've actually fallen in love with take outs. I'm not talking about cheap Chinese/Mexican ones. But REAL restaurants doing curbside take out of some of their regular dishes. Good food, not exactly cheap. But I get to eat it at my leisure without the waitress constantly asking if my water needs refilling!

So between curbside take out of decent restaurants and microwave recipes, I'm eating better than previous years. And a little less expensive too. Though the last point isn't super significant. Being able to eat my dinner in my pajamas is just more relaxing than having to wait for a table, wait for my food then wait to get the check!

david chang from the momofuku group of restaurants is a microwave evangelist.

this is coming out soon

Amazon.com

i went to a big outdoor techno event last night. the venue (the brooklyn mirage) finally started enforcing the policy. watching burning man morons get turned away over and over again was delicious.

 

[Edd]

watching burning man morons get turned away over and over again was delicious.

That sincerely does sound entertaining.

 

[deadheadskier]

Trey Band last night had significant enforcement. IDs being matched to vac cards or tests

 

[raisingarizona]

I hope not. But then again I survived without a mega pass this year, I can continue to do so going forward if the reservation systems stay

I’m not doing this crap. If going skiing becomes a total headache I’m out. F it. I can do other activities that are just as fulfilling and where I don’t have to deal with lines, crowds and annoying hoops to jump through.

 

[Dickc]

Reality check--- This article is from Yahoo, but its still interesting

Moderna more effective overall

 

[abc]

I actually enjoy cooking and am quite good at it and have always cooked at home for most of my meals every week even pre-pandemic. That doesn't change the fact that I still enjoy the experience of going out and dining at a good restaurant once in a while. Takeout is not even close to the same experience.

I won't say I'm a good chef. Though I can cook well enough to please myself, and do so most of the time when I'm not traveling. There're times I eat out for socializing, or eat out just as a "treat". Those, I'm not cutting out. As soon as the situation allows, I'm eating out.

But I'm talking about traveling. Especially traveling for ski. I used to eat out because that's the only way to get different food than the limited options of cheap take out. Thanks to almost all the decent restaurants offering curb side take outs, I now have a whole lot more food options, especially good foods that can be served back at my room.

 

[boston_e]

I’m not doing this crap. If going skiing becomes a total headache I’m out. F it. I can do other activities that are just as fulfilling and where I don’t have to deal with lines, crowds and annoying hoops to jump through.

Isnt part of the idea of the reservation system (at least at some mountains) to reduce the crowds / lines etc? Is going onto an app and making a reservation that big of a hoop to jump through? The times I did it last year it took about 30 seconds.

 

[icecoast1]

Isnt part of the idea of the reservation system (at least at some mountains) to reduce the crowds / lines etc? Is going onto an app and making a reservation that big of a hoop to jump through? The times I did it last year it took about 30 seconds.

Not really a big deal to make a reservation provided the site doesn't glitch out when you try to do it, the issue is when they penalize for no shows or canceling if you change your mind

 

[BenedictGomez]

The odds of a grade school aged child having serious complications from Covid are statistically insignificant.

Today.

Tomorrow? We have no idea.

We have no idea what the potential long-term affects of COVID19 infection on children might be, because there are no long-term follow-up data due to the fact this is a new virus. It is not possible to know the result of a football game before it's played.

As the parent of a toddler, I am taking COVID extremely seriously for this reason, even though my wife & I are fully vaccinated - children cannot be at this date. I'm not taking the risk that 6 years from now we learn that children who contracted COVID19 have decreased lung capacity, decreased potential for alveolar regeneration, or any of 1001 potential negative developmental affects which very well may take some number of forward years before clinical presentation.