Indoor vs outdoor dining and COVID

Speaking as someone who’s just booked five ADRs and is already regretting it, how do the learned amongst you feel about the wisdom — or otherwise — of indoor dining?

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I’ve done indoor dining twice since June. Once in my state of Kentucky and another time on an overnight trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Tables were well spaced indoors and capacity was limited. Wore my mask to the table and kept it on until I got my drink. Servers were wearing them. I used hand sanitizer before eating. I was comfortable. I feel like I’ve got to live my life and take necessary precautions. Dining out was one of those things I was longing to do. Not sure what the “rules” are for indoor dining at Disneyland Paris.

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We don’t eat indoors.

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At Disney, I’m doing it. Other places? no…

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Did it twice…at CityWalk and at Disney Springs. There was outside seating available, but we are inside. I felt it was fine.

I haven’t done indoor dining since Covid has been a thing. But I’m also not as worried about getting Covid but bringing it home to 2 people that wouldn’t fair well. (Cancer patient undergoing Chemo and my MIL who has a host of health problems). I feel removing the masks exposes you so much more, especially in a closed setting over a prolonged period. The question is how would you feel if you contracted Covid and who would you be putting at risk for fatal or extreme complications. Are you willing to self quarantine when you get back to not transmit what you caught. Masks work. Ultimately. And when you dine indoors you expose yourself more. Its a comfort level and personal circumstance situation. I can’t do in room dining but I have a reason. I can not avoid people that are statistically going to be more adversely effected.

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This being said, Im going to Disney World in Dec. We will take every precaution. We will eat outdoors 99% of the time, if not 100%. We will stay away from the in laws when we get back for at least 2 weeks :pray::pray: (I love them but it will also be a nice break)!

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We’ve done indoor dining twice, once at T-Rex & QS at Cosmic Rays and won’t do it again. Felt very uncomfortable. Didn’t feel ppl. were seated far enough apart, no one but waitstaff wore masks. It took too long to get our food and felt we were being put a risk the longer we sat there.

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Visited restaurants about four times indoors in my town. (Do a lot of take out to support). Every place is doing a great job with safety measures. I think the 25% capacity limit is overdone. Not sure if these places can survive many more months. Some have already shut down. :worried:

I’ve done indoor and outdoor (not at Disney). The restaurants indoors were 50% capacity or less. Everyone was following the guidelines and I felt comfortable. We also tend to go during less busy times, such as an early dinner or lunch. We’ve gone out maybe a handful of times this summer.

We did several indoor restaurants at Disney. For the most part we felt comfortable. The places I did not (Beaches and Cream, 50’s PT Diner) were the smaller restaurants or those with many smaller rooms where tables were used closer together. At bigger venues such as Biergarten and BOG they had lots of room and used every second or third table. There were a couple of times where the hostess was seating us in the middle of the room, and I asked for a table to the side instead and they accommodated that. Generally it might help to look for bigger restaurants and go at off-peak times to minimize crowding.

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Indoor dining opened up sometime during the first 10 days of May in my state.

We’ve been doing indoor dining at least once a week since then. Social distancing - spacing of tables - is required. Not all restaurants require servers to wear masks.

Two weekends ago we traveled to another city - with a city wide mask ordinance - for a long weekend. Ate inside at 4 restaurants.

I don’t live or frequent congested areas much at all. I don’t know if I’d feel differently about indoor eating if we did.

eta: every where I’ve eaten has been a newer building, except two places. Both places were for a late lunch, very uncrowded. I’d be much more concerned about ventilation in an older building. One of the places I’ve eaten could be older than I am, in which case they’ve likely had to replace their hvac equipment by now anyway.

At the one fast food place we frequent I see a lot of use of their out door space. We eat inside. I’m glad there are options.

We have not eaten out anywhere since the beginning of March. IF we go to WDW in December, we will try to primarily eat outside. If we dine inside, it will be in large restaurants that allow for a lot of space between groups.

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Good to know that Biergarten and Be Our Guest had space enough to be comfortable with masks removed. Also good to know restaurants that didn’t feel as safe. Thanks for your perspective.

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I’ve eaten out numerous times since restaurants reopened in May, always indoors (this is Arizona, after all!). I always try to eat at off times so that it isn’t busy, and pick restaurants that aren’t crowded and need my business. For example, I’ve eaten a few times at a teppanyaki restaurant where we are the only patrons there.

We always wear masks when arriving and as long as we can until we start eating, and put them back on as soon as we’re done.

Most restaurants do really good about spacing. I wouldn’t go back if they weren’t. With adequate space, strict mask requirements, and low crowds, I feel perfectly safe, even with my kids.

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We have eaten out (inside restaurants) probably every week since our restaurants reopened, back in early May. Servers have always worn masks where I live (eastern Washington State) as that was mandated for them to reopen. We also ate indoors at quite a few places in WDW and UOR for a week, in multiple airports, multiple places in New Hampshire this past week when I took my daughter to college, at multiple places in Whitefish, MT when we went to Glacier…the list goes on an on. I am really surprised how many are worried about eating inside. Honestly, with the spacing and very few others in restaurants right now, eating out does not feel risky at all to me. Of course I also felt good about airplane travel across the country this summer, where many seem uncomfortable. As a health care worker, I am much more likely to be exposed at work than any restaurant.
P.S, Daughter has had two Covid tests in the last 2 weeks- both negative.

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We don’t eat inside at all. With our masks removed, I’m more worried about the waitstaff catching something from us than vice versa. We’ve eaten on one full service patio since March, and while I myself felt fairly safe, I was very aware that when the masked staff approached the table to check on us, our masks were off as we talked to them (we kept them on until our drinks arrived).

If you catch Covid on the plane there, you could easily spread it before you know you have it.

But, I am in a Texas metro area where community transmission is widespread, so the risks here are higher than most places.

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Not a big restaurant goer - probably haven’t been since we were in Florida in February. We have done takeout. Takeout/Delivery has really taken off since all the restaurants were forced to close. They can be open now at reduced capacity.

We have only done take-out and delivery since mid-March. I would feel very uncomfortable eating inside a restaurant. Ventilation patterns would especially concern me.

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I have done takeout (mar/apr) and indoor dining since May, at least once a week. Some outdoor dining intermixed in this. Wear mask to table and going to RR, but masks off at table.

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