[jebartle]

Sams St. JOHNS, we were only diners for 1/2 hour, condiments brought to table, all employees masked,
Catfish filets great. Our maiden voyage.

[Madelaine Amee]

Dining in a restaurant is at the bottom of our list for some considerable time to come. We eat to live not live to eat, so not too difficult for us. But, will do take out when I absolutely cannot stand to cook another meal

However, if they shut down traffic at Lake Sumter and put out tables along the sidewalk, we would be tempted to eat out again. I could shut my eyes and imagine I was on the Via Veneto in Rome again!

[thelegges]

At Havana today. All tables 6’ in and out. Some wore mask in, removed at table. No condiments on table, brought out in small dish when asked. Little busier than restaurant yesterday. Staff very glad you were there, wearing mask, and gloves.

This is my fourth restaurant since Monday, more thanI eat out in 3 months. While I am only one, I hope I can make a difference to the staff and their families.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by thelegges

At Havana today. All tables 6’ in and out. Some wore mask in, removed at table. No condiments on table, brought out in small dish when asked. Little busier than restaurant yesterday. Staff very glad you were there, wearing mask, and gloves.

This is my fourth restaurant since Monday, more thanI eat out in 3 months. While I am only one, I hope I can make a difference to the staff and their families.

and thanks for not sharing how much you left for a tip.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

Dining in a restaurant is at the bottom of our list for some considerable time to come. We eat to live not live to eat, so not too difficult for us. But, will do take out when I absolutely cannot stand to cook another meal

However, if they shut down traffic at Lake Sumter and put out tables along the sidewalk, we would be tempted to eat out again. I could shut my eyes and imagine I was on the Via Veneto in Rome again!

Eh. The whole "eat to live vs. live to eat" thing is overblown. You CAN eat to live, AND enjoy the food. The only people who must ONLY eat to live, are people who have their nutrition fed to them through a tube.

You also didn't have to cook another meal. You could've ordered food delivery - many of these places are delivering free of charge. You also could've done curb-side pickup, and contactless pickup. We had pizza from Pizza Hut tonigh and they brought it out to our car, we drove it home and ate it still hot from the oven. Not fine dining, no. But it's one less night of cooking.

[Chatbrat]

cooking is not a hassle, its fun if you & your significant other share the experience--its going to be a really long time before we set foot in any restaurant

And, why the rush to go out to get mostly microwaved & deep fried , prepackaged food, that is the norm in TV's restaurants

Do you really think places like Gator's actually cook?

[bilcon]

I ate Monday at The Chop House. No wait. Full menu. I ate Tuesday at Havana. Limited menu, but no wait.

[skip0358]

Wife & I went to Havana last night. Tables spaced as should be, inside bar had seating for singles and doubles spaced 6 ft apart no moving of seats period. Nothing on the bar. Drinks served in throwaway cups. New cup for every drink. Staff wore masks and gloves. Very happy to see people and thanked us for coming.

[ShabbyChick]

Originally Posted by xkeowner

Who tried it today? Where did you go? How long was the wait? How was the overall experience?

Monday evening I went to Giovanni's, my fiancé and I were the only ones in the restaurant. A few people came in to pick up orders. They are doing everything they can to follow and comply with the CDC.

Last evening we went to Naldos, busier outside than inside. There were three booths separating us from other diners. They are also following the guidelines. Our favorite server, Tammy, who used to work at Giovanni's was serving us. She and other servers everywhere still haven't gotten their first unemployment check or stimulus check.

When you feel it is safe enough for you to dine out again, please remember to tip at least 20%, providing you had a good experience. They have families too and bills to pay and have had no income. Retirees still got their Social Security despite the quarantine.

Just remember, because things are starting to open up slowly, please be sure you maintain your distance and FOLLOW THE ARROWS and STAND BEHIND THE LINES TAPED ON THE FLOORS. I can't believe how many people are clueless.

[geobar]

Going to a Restaurant?
Something to consider.
Doctors are limiting their practices to see patients. What are they telling us?
Perhaps it is nice to go out to eat as we had done this past Wednesday.
Not all of the wait staff wore masks and or gloves. Not too healthy for patrons or themselves.
Were surprised the Manager did not pull these people aside to reaffirm the requirements.
We will wait again for another few weeks to see what happens in new cases.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Chatbrat

cooking is not a hassle, its fun if you & your significant other share the experience--its going to be a really long time before we set foot in any restaurant

And, why the rush to go out to get mostly microwaved & deep fried , prepackaged food, that is the norm in TV's restaurants

Do you really think places like Gator's actually cook?

I'm sure their boneless wings come in frozen, and they deep-fry them and splash some buffalo sauce over them. I'm also sure their salad greens come already washed and cut.

But the ability to get out of the house, have someone else do the deep frying, food prep, serving, table-clearing, and dishwashing is attractive and something we like to experience sometimes. It was our wedding anniversary and I'll be damned if either of us has to cook and clean on our wedding anniversary.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by geobar

Going to a Restaurant?
Something to consider.
Doctors are limiting their practices to see patients. What are they telling us?
Perhaps it is nice to go out to eat as we had done this past Wednesday.
Not all of the wait staff wore masks and or gloves. Not too healthy for patrons or themselves.
Were surprised the Manager did not pull these people aside to reaffirm the requirements.
We will wait again for another few weeks to see what happens in new cases.

The guideline fromTV is employees wear mask, and gloves. Please share where you were that they didn’t.

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by thelegges

The guideline fromTV is employees wear mask, and gloves. Please share where you were that they didn’t.

Why would they wear gloves. Is that more safe?

[Mendy]

Originally Posted by xkeowner

Who tried it today? Where did you go? How long was the wait? How was the overall experience?

Two experiences to share from this past week, one in TV and one outside. Very different experiences. Ate at Red Sauce on the patio one evening. Good social distancing, staff was masked and wore gloves, bottle of sanitizer on every table, service excellent. Ate at Oakwood BBQ. Not a single worker wore a mask or gloves. Good job adhering to the 25% capacity guideline. We took extra precautions due to others not. We would have left but it was late and several other restaurants had already closed. I will admit we were a bit uneasy but we were no closer than 15 feet to anyone else and avoided contact with waiter.

[Northwoods]

Originally Posted by Chatbrat

cooking is not a hassle, its fun if you & your significant other share the experience--its going to be a really long time before we set foot in any restaurant

And, why the rush to go out to get mostly microwaved & deep fried , prepackaged food, that is the norm in TV's restaurants

Do you really think places like Gator's actually cook?

I've had take out from Blue Fin (nothing deep fried), burgers from Lopez pool bar (yes, fries are deep fried... but Lopez pool bar burgers are excellent), pizza from Piesano's, and I've done take out from Pho Saigon a few times (not sure they even own a deep fryer). I've had take out from some of my favorite places. I want to support the local restaurants.