Opinion: I’m Dying For The Restaurant Dining Buzz

Like travel, food is often front and center in many of life’s happiest moments.

That birthday meal, the big business dinner or the first date that leads to love, or whatever. As I watched MasterChef, my favorite guilty pleasure last night – I couldn’t help but well up, thinking just how much I miss the restaurant experience.

When this is over, I almost want to pay double, just to let my favorite spots know how much they were missed. Not forever, but…

You know you miss something when you even miss the sound of things you hate.

Everyone knows that group of all too drunk lads, or ladies who can’t keep it down, but after months without a peep, the thought of a rowdy group is almost soothing. And then there’s the good stuff too: the popping of corks, the sound of forks hitting immaculate plates, the laughs, and of course just the buzz of the room.

Massive wine deliveries aside, when’s the last time anyone reading this felt a buzzing ambiance?

Dining out is one of life’s greatest pleasures, because it combines the magic of pleasure itself in the form of food, with the thrill of jeopardy. You never know if you’re in for the best meal, the worst meal, a great table, a terrible table or what else might happen.

Thinking of a world post coronavirus, I really just hope that people flock in droves to support the businesses hardest hit by this. Quite often, they’re the best ones are run by locals in your community and they depend on our patronage. They deserve it.

It’s been so cool to see how some restaurants have pivoted into clever delivery, but for some it’s simply not feasible. It’s sad to think just how hard these times are for their teams, their budding chefs and the momentum they were building along the way. I’m not even kidding when I say I want to walk in, give them a bow – now that handshakes are dead – and say just charge me double.

There are so many things we collectively took for granted prior to the spread of the global pandemic and dining was one of the simpler pleasures we absolutely did. Life’s greatest occasions wouldn’t be the same without great local spots, and it never will be.

Some things won’t return after covid-19 is over, but restaurants better. I’m dying to experience their buzz again.