Close

White Paper by Roar reveals the future of restaurant design post Covid-19

The research reveals what we may expect of the future of dining

A White Paper by Roar reveals results on the future of restaurant design and dining in a post Covid world.

According to the report, restaurant designers will abandon social distancing and return to pre-pandemic spacing – but not until 2021.

A survey of 170 industrial professionals revealed that only a quarter (26%) think a return to normal spacing will happen before the end of this year. Most (64%) expect that to happen next year, while a small minority (5%) say the restaurant trade will never return to normal.

White Paper by Roar

“Safe spacing will be the most dramatic impact on restaurants – but according to our experts, one that is likely to be short-lived,” says Pallavi Dean, founder and creative director of Roar, the company that compiled the White Paper.

The White Paper noted that the guidelines in the IBC (International Building Codes) for F&B specify an average 15 sq ft per seated diner, and 5 sq ft for customers standing in so-called ‘vertical drinking’. Current World Health Organisation guidelines call for 27 sq ft per diner in F&B outlets.

‘Layout & spacing’ was the first of the Big 3 issues highlighted in the White Paper. The next two were ‘contactless’ and ‘buffet/sharing food concepts’.

“Very few people expect dining to be fully contactless. far more likely is what we’re calling ‘contact-light’,” Dean explained.

White Paper by Roar

According to the White Paper, the contactless trend will have multiple impacts –some relating to objects while others to people. Physical menus may become rare, if not extinct. The same may be true of communal salt & pepper shakers, and the grubby three-week-old bottle of ketchup in the middle of the table. Sharing mezze with close family members will likely endure – but sharing platters at a large corporate functions may not.

The prosaic, administrative and functional aspects of the restaurant experience must also be reimagined, says the White Paper. Restrooms in particularly must be completely re-planned, with every unnecessary touchpoint removed: doors, soap, water and drying etc.

However, people are a different matter. “Since the dawn of restaurants, a charismatic maitre d’, waiter, chef, barman or patron has been the lifeblood of a good restaurant – nowhere more than in the Middle East, where I grew up,“  Dean said.

The White Paper concluded that this physical familiarity will ultimately endure, though maybe not before a vaccine for COVID-19.

You can read the full White Paper here. 

 

The Latest
identity Design Awards 2025 jury

Meet the judges for the identity Design Awards 2025

Five prominent designers have been selected to judge this year's milestone 11th annual identity Design Awards

Here are 14 Emirati women we admire in the design and creative industry

In honour of Emirati Women’s Day, we celebrate the visionary Emirati women in the industry that are pushing boundaries

Casa Cazaux

A Spanish Revival Reimagined in the Hollywood Hills

Casa Cazaux designed by Jordana Maisie Design Studio was inspired by Slim Aarons photography of post WWII Italian high society and Mediterranean-inspired coastal architecture

Kaskade by Karim Rashid for TREDEX Sara Group

TREDEX x Karim Rashid Introduce KASKADE

A Collection Where Flow Meets Form

identity Design Awards 2025 categories

identity Design Awards 2025 – The Categories

Here's a breakdown of the 21 categories we have for this year's identity Design Awards.

Vedra | Palm Jumeirah villa

Owning the Development Process

How Vedra, a Boutique Project Development Consultancy is Redefining Development in the UAE

Dual Key – A Game-Changing Concept for Owner/ Investors

Here's how you can become a landlord and live in your property at the same time.

Penthouse in Dubai Marina by Lulie Fisher Design Studio

A Penthouse Reimagined

Lulie Fisher Design Studio Completes a Penthouse in the Intercontinental Dubai Marina

KIRA entrance

The Design behind Kira at the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab

Designed by acclaimed studio Verhaal, KIRA is inspired by the Lunaria plant.

Design Take: Fairmont Tazi Palace

OBMI and Katara Hospitality breathe new life into a 1920s royal residence, balancing heritage and modern luxury on the eucalyptus-clad slopes of Tangiers, Morocco.

Kiyoshi Dubai

Step inside Kiyoshi Dubai

Japanese craft meets contemporary design at Kiyoshi designed by Mahsa Gholizadeh

AlUla Design Residency

The AlUla Artist Residency Programme Returns for its Second Edition

The Design Residency programme 2025 also coincides with the Year of Handicrafts as designated by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture.