Restaurant Owners on Spains Costa del Sol still stuck in lockdown consider buying little greenhouses like Amsterdam So Diners Can Enjoy A Meal While Social Distancing

AS the Costa del Sol remains in Phase 0 of the lockdown restaurant owners look at ways of opening their doors to diners and some eateries in Amsterdam just might have the answer.

Thousands of restaurant owners on the Costa del Sol were saddened and even angry over the news that 51 per cent of Spain would move to Phase 1 of the lockdown on Monday but they couldn’t.

In a last bid attempt and holding on to their ailing businesses they started looking around at ways they could immediately open their doors to paying customers as soon as they get the green light and Amsterdam may have come up with the perfect solution.

Amsterdam gives a glimmer of hope with this greenhouse dining concept. While concepts like glass tanning boxes were starting to make everyone feel a little uneasy about the future, these are more aligned to the highly popular, pop-up igloos that toured the world -except these have a little more charm.

If there’s one thing residents on the Costa del Sol are missing, it’s the simple pleasures of socialising with friends and dining out. However, navigating the post-lockdown world may be more difficult for restaurants and bars than any other businesses.

In China, and even in Torremolinos in Malaga, plastic screens dividing diners have already been put in place in some major chains, but if customers start to feel like inmates at a cafeteria it sort of defeats the purpose.

So, it comes as a great relief to see a little inspiration coming from the waterside vegan restaurant, Mediamatic Eten, in Amsterdam. Diners will be seated inside one of the ‘Serres Séparées’ – what they call the new glass concept houses – which can accommodate two people comfortably, or three at a push. Of course, solo diners are welcome too. Long wooden planks are used to serve diners, which is a simple but clever way of ensuring staff can maintain a six-foot distance.

The result is an intimate moment outdoors that still allows guests to practise social distancing. The breathtaking, uninterrupted views are quite key too. Although this is still in the testing phase until it gets approval from authorities, it does give us a more positive outlook of what dining could look like.

Mediamatic Eten is the restaurant arm of Mediamatic Biotoop, an entrepreneurship centre that bridges the arts, nature, design and society.