Modular kit transforms pavements into safe dining spaces

The sets include sanitation units for workers and a variety of floor plans for different-sized businesses to use

Spotted: Architecture and design company The Rockwell Group have created an adaptable template for safe outdoor dining. The modular restaurant kits are available in sizes ranging from 30 to 216 seats. They provide all the structures needed for a business to take over adjacent pavements and streets.

Wooden decking covers the pavements, semi-private booths and carefully spaced tables, provide a safe distance between patrons. Erected sanitation units also allow workers to regularly wash their hands. The New York City government is considering extensive road closures as part of its plans to slowly reopen its economy, and should those closures go ahead, the modular kits may help restaurants achieve something close to the volumes of trade needed to remain in business.

The kits have been designed to be affordable, adaptable and quick to assemble, as a means for financially stricken businesses to get back on their feet as soon as possible. The kits also include plant-covered fencing to further distinguish between the outdoor dining and public spaces.

As one of the industries particularly hard hit by the pandemic, those in hospitality are having to think creatively. Springwise has spotted a number of ways in which brands are providing socially distanced services; an inflatable face shield allows groups to socialise while maintaining safety standards, and one hotel has turned its empty rooms into individual pop-up restaurants.

Explore more: Food & Drink Innovations | COVID-19 Innovations