We've heard of al fresco dining, but it took a global pandemic for us to consider eating alone in the middle of a field.
A ‘social distancing’ restaurant for one is opening in a field in Sweden
Surely one of the only all-new restaurants opening in the world right now, Bord för En, or Table for One, will serve a three course meal to a single customer each day, in the middle of a meadow in Western Sweden.
Sweden has eschewed the blanket lockdowns imposed by many European countries, instead advising its people to employ social distancing, and Table For One has taken the message to heart.
Designed to be as coronavirus-proof as possible, food will be transported from kitchen window to table in a wicker basket down a line of rope, and dishes will be double washed between patrons. Guests will have nothing but table and chair for company, and can enjoy their meal in perfect seclusion.
The brainchild of chef-and-waitress duo Rasmus Persson and Linda Karlsson, the idea struck while hosting Karlsson's elderly parents, and they began developing their website immediately.
A three-course sample menu promises a Swedish meal with Spanish inspiration, including Swedish-style hash browns, seaweed caviar, sweetcorn croquettes, and freshly picked blueberries. With purse-strings tightening across the continent, diners can decide for themselves how much they can and will pay, with proceeds going to a 'fund for creative mums' set up by Persson.
If nothing else, the pair hope to help tackle the strange stigma attached to eating alone. "When I dined alone before, it felt like people were under the impression that I had been stood up," says Karlsson. "At this restaurant you will not meet anyone. Not even a waiter."
Table For One will be open from May 10 until at least August 1. Guests may have to book quickly, because there aren't many places.