D.C. Area Michelin-starred Restaurant Will Place Mannequins in Empty Seats to Fill Space Between Real Guests

Walking the streets over the previous couple months has been a spooky experience. Even some of the most notoriously hectic locations like Times Square have actually been entirely peaceful. However would establishing a bunch of mannequins make things feel less creepy? A renowned dining establishment in Washington, Virginia, is about to learn.

The Inn at Little Washington– the D.C.-area’s only restaurant with three Michelin stars and topic of a recent PBS documentary– has actually developed an unconventional strategy to help fill the space developed by social distancing. When chef Patrick O’Connell resumes for dinner on May 29, the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award Winner will be putting what a representative called “theatrically dressed” mannequins at empty tables to function as “a home entertainment and design touchpoint to keep things intriguing.”

“I have actually constantly had a thing for mannequins– they never complain about anything and you can have great deals of fun dressing them up,” O’Connell mentioned. “When we needed to fix the problem of social distancing and minimizing our restaurant’s occupancy by half, the option appeared obvious– fill it with remarkably dressed dummies. This would permit lots of space in between real guests and generate a couple of smiles and supply some fun media event.”

Though dining together with mannequins might sound a bit odd, O’Connell also explains that these figures won’t just be pulled from a Macy’s window. “The Inn at Little Washington has constantly celebrated the ‘living theatre’ of a restaurant and this job provides us an opportunity to deal with Style Foundry and Signature Theatre in D.C., who we’ve teamed up with in the past,” the chef continued. “They will be supplying the costumes and make up for our mannequins. We’re all yearning to gather and see other individuals right now. They do not all necessarily need to be real people.”

The dining establishment states it has a history of being “reverently profane,” and in their defense, given that clients are paying $248 per person for a tasting menu, a minimum of they’re getting the most immaculately-dressed mannequin-diners money can buy.

“When The Inn at Little Washington reached out with the concept to costume mannequins, we thought it was an enjoyable and imaginative way for them to comply with social distancing standards,” Signature Theatre’s Managing Director Maggie Boland stated. “We jumped at the possibility to collaborate with another of Virginia’s terrific cultural locations in assistance of their resuming. Signature’s outfit store manager, Frederick Deeben, went to work pulling costumes and devices to outfit the mannequins– dining couples– in 1940s style dress. We can’t wait to see the dining-room all decked out for a post-war party!”

Sure, O’Connell’s concept might seem out-there, but absolutely nothing is really off the table within the post-coronavirus “new typical.” Some cities are considering turning over entire streets to al fresco dining. An Amsterdam dining establishment is offering guests their own separating greenhouses. In Sweden, there’s even a one-person restaurant in the middle of a meadow. So are dining dummies truly that unusual? We’re all under a lot of stress, so do not feel like you need to respond to that one.