London’s largest fine dining operator is set to reopen 13 restaurants in the capital on July 4 including well-known destinations such as Le Pont de la Tour and Bluebird Chelsea.
Des Gunewardena, the chief executive of D&D London, said he was ready to provide a “buzzy and warm experience” for customers looking forward to eating out again after lockdown. The first reopenings will include venues with outside terraces. Other sites will welcome diners back through August and September.
The Government has indicated it will let pubs, cafes and restaurants start operating on July 4, although this is yet to be confirmed. Mr Gunewardena said that internal layouts have been reconfigured to maintain social distancing. Handcrafted screens between tables will prevent dining rooms appearing empty and also further reduce risk of infection.
Staff serving customers will wear masks and gloves, menus will be provided on phones and all payments will be contactless. Mr Gunewardena said the measures would be applied with a light touch.
He said: “When people come I don’t want the first thing that they notice to be ‘oh they’re really good on their PPE’ — that’s important but it should be secondary. We want them to feel that they are in a nice buzzy environment, having fun with friends and hopefully enjoying lovely food. We don’t want them to feel they’re going into hospital and about to be operated on.”
He said he had looked at a range of options to make the restaurants appealing but also safe, including hiring robot waiters to deliver food to tables. Mr Gunewardena said the closures since March 17, combined with the bill for safety measures for reopening will cost the company at least £10 million.
Mr Gunewardena said the company’s own survey revealed that 87 per cent of customers said they felt “very” or “slightly” confident about eating out again. Other D&D London venues reopening next month include the Paternoster Chop House, Coq d’Argent, Skylon, German Gymnasium and Fiume.
