Is this the future of NYC dining? Downtown Ciprani tests having waiters wear face shields and protective gloves to serve masked diners
- Downtown Cipriani in New York City is trialing having waiters wear face shields and face masks as they serve gloved patrons
- Several managers at the upscale restaurant were spotted testing out the new procedures on Wednesday in Soho
- New York has been on lockdown since March and restaurants restricted to pick up and delivery service only
- New York state continues to have the greatest number of infections in the country at over 356,000 cases and 23,083 deaths
One of New York’s iconic restaurants is trialing what could be the future of restaurant eating where waiters wear face shields and masks.
On Wednesday Cipriani Downtown in Soho ran a test service where three waiters were seen decked out in protective personal equipment, serving two individuals sitting at tables wearing face masks and plastic gloves.
When photographer Tim Fadek passed by and asked what the group was doing they identified themselves as the management of the ritzy restaurant and said they were ‘trying something out’, according to Grub Street.
Downtown Cipriani in New York City is trialing having waiters wear face shields and face masks as they serve gloved patrons. Managers testing out new service guidelines above on Wednesday
The exterior of the upscale Soho restaurant pictured above
Fadek has been photographing Chinatown, Soho and the Upper East Side amid the coronavirus crisis and says this is the first time he’s seen a restaurant test out dining-in service.
‘Our exchange was limited but they didn’t seem to be too excited about talking to me,’ Fadek said.
In the apparent test service all guests and workers were wearing PPE.
New York has been on lockdown since March and restaurants restricted to pick up and delivery service only.
New York state continues to have the greatest number of infections in the country at over 356,000 cases and 23,083 deaths.
Cipriani isn’t the only New York eatery rolling out unique measures to protect customers and staff when lockdown lifts.
Brooklyn Chop House, in Manhattan’s Financial District, has installed protective plexi-glass screens between tables to keep customers and staff safe
The restaurant has unveiled a number of safety measures ahead of the NYC’s reopening next month
Brooklyn Chop House, in Manhattan’s Financial District, unveiled new guidelines in operations where diners will be required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken upon arrival by medical detectors that have been converted into full-body thermometers.
Tables will be separated by protective plexi-glass partitions and servers will wear bucket hats with shields down to the breastbone.
As of May 20, seven of New York’s ten regions will have begun a four-phase reopening process: Capital District, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier, and Western New York.
But New York City, Long Island, and Mid-Hudson remain on lockdown.
In order to even meet the requirement to reopen a region must meet seven health-related benchmarks including a 14-day decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, 15 or fewer total new confirmed cases of COVID-19, and fewer than two new patients admitted to hospitals per 100,000 residents, among other requirements.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has estimated that the city will meet the state’s reopening criteria sometime in the first half of June.
In the four phase reopening plan, restaurants and other food-service businesses won’t reopen for dine-in services until Phase Three.