Restaurants Are Now Making You Do This Surprising Thing Before Showing Up

Keys, wallet, phone — these are typical things we don't forget when leaving home. These days, masks are included there too. But soon you may need to do something else if you're planning on dining somewhere.

You may be asked to place your order or set an amount of money you'd like to spend before stepping foot into the restaurant.

Yep, to reduce the amount of time spent inside and to limit contact with staff and other customers, prepare to select what you want a lot earlier than usual. If you order before, this can reduce the time a server is at a table and limit people coming in contact with your food. One Washington D.C. restaurant is already doing something similar — using a set ticket price.

"It's a way of trying to change the mindset of people given the situation," Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger, the owner of Seven Reasons, told the Washingtonian. "We want to make sure people spend a certain amount, and while $50 is about half of the regular check average, at least we have some predictability as to what the numbers will look like and mitigate every possible risk."

Another restaurant in D.C. is working with a set menu so staff and management know what the demand will be. Several of your favorite fast-food chains are doing this, too. Shake Shack recently announced that they are sticking with fewer options, leaving behind Chicago-style hot dogs, concretes, and, at brand new locations opening up, chick'n bites.

IHOP also drastically cut their menu. What used to be a booklet of sweet and savory options is now only two pages. You won't be able to have Chicken Florentine Crepes, Pancake sliders, and others for a little while longer. In the meantime, These Common Menu Words Are Total Red Flags to look out for when ordering!

Eat This, Not That! is constantly monitoring the latest food news as it relates to COVID-19 in order to keep you healthy, safe, and informed (and answer your most urgent questions). Here are the precautions you should be taking at the grocery store, the foods you should have on hand, the meal delivery services and restaurant chains offering takeout you need to know about, and ways you can help support those in need. We will continue to update these as new information develops. Click here for all of our COVID-19 coverage, and sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date.