restaurant in amsterdam installs greenhouses to ensure social distancing

as countries in europe being to come out from the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants are starting to experiment with new ways to have people safely dining out again. a restaurant in amsterdam called mediamatic has found an innovative and adorable solution that ensures social distancing rules are applied. the restaurant has set small green houses along the oosterdok river that allow for an intimate dinner for two.

(main) image by willem velthoven

‘in restaurants and bars, a separate room is traditionally named in french: chambre séparée,’ comments the post on mediamatic’s web page. ‘it suggests a sexy kind of intimacy: here things can happen that should remain hidden from plain sight and not be heard by all. we’ve decided to name our greenhouses in french too. although what happens inside will be much more public…’

dubbed serres séparées — french for separated greenhouses — the transparent structures offer a safe and intimate dinner by the water. the restaurant is currently testing the idea as dutch restaurants can reopen on june 1st. the plan takes into consideration both customers and people working there. for example, staff will be wearing personal protection equipment all the time and food will be served on wooden planks, guaranteeing the 1.5-meter distance. the restaurant hopes to open in june and will start taking reservations last week of may.

‘we want people to still feel safe to eat together and share a meal,’ giulia soldati, chef at mediamatic eten told BBC news. ‘all the spaces are separated but people can still share the space and share food together. we will always be outside so it’s going to be safe. we are going to wear gloves and a protection mask.’

project info:

name: serres séparées — french for separated greenhouses

where: mediamatic restaurant

address: oosterdok: dijksgracht 6, amsterdam