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No singing, no buffets: New ground rules for eating out in 2020

Scott Bolles
Scott Bolles

New rules will allow shuttered venues to introduce a 50-customer capacity in NSW.
New rules will allow shuttered venues to introduce a 50-customer capacity in NSW. Louise Kennerley

Excited by the prospect of a group of friends belting out Happy Birthday over dinner or lunch now restaurant restrictions have eased?

You might have to put that on the wishlist for next year, because the NSW guidelines for restaurants and cafes under the new 50-customer limit are in, and dining out in 2020 has a new set of ground rules.

Due to the high risk of transmission, group singing should be avoided, restaurants have been warned as part of a COVID-19 safety plan.

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The checklist for the public health order also goes into detail of the added danger of playing wind instruments in a restaurant environment. So, tell your boyfriend to leave his oboe at home.

The window is still slightly ajar for your waiter serenading you, with the draft guidelines requiring solo singers to maintain a three-metre distance.

While restaurants in NSW can seat up to 50 from June 1, there's a cap of 10 a table. So, you might have to prune your invite list. Communal bar snacks are gone, there's a fatwah on self-serve buffets and hookahs are most certainly out.

Most of the checklist is already common practice, with fancy menus making way for laminated and single use. Staggered start times are also recommended.

Don't be alarmed if a restaurant presses you for your name and phone or email contact. They aren't trying to sign you up for a customer loyalty scheme – they'll be required to keep records for 28 days for tracing purposes.

Welcome to eating out, 2020-style.

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Scott BollesScott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.

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