Restaurant Puts Panda Toys At Tables To Keep Diners Company While Social Distancing

A restaurant in Thailand has deployed cuddly panda toys at tables as a way of keeping customers company while enforcing social distancing measures.

Instagram/Maison Saigon

The country eased lockdown restrictions earlier this month, enabling restaurants to reopen under strict rules designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

But rather than have diners sat at tables on their own, Natthwut Rodchanapanthkul, the owner of Vietnamese restaurant Maison Saigon in Bangkok, decided to deploy cuddly panda toys at tables, giving customers some form of company and making it clear where other diners are not permitted to sit.

Speaking to Reuters, he said: "Earlier we had only one chair for the tables where the customer came alone. But for me, it felt strange, so I thought I'd give them some company."

Evidently, the novel solution has proven popular with customers too - though that's hardly a surprise.

Instagram/Maison Saigon

Diner Sawit Chaiphuek, 25, said: "The doll makes me feel less lonely eating by myself.

"It's a lot easier to understand compared to other restaurants where people always get confused about where to sit and end up sitting too close to each other."

The restaurant shared the creative solution in a post on Instagram which reads: "The Maison Saigon is now open for eating!! Come alone, as a couple or as a whole family.

"We have pandas and clear panels to help keep the distance for you to be happy and healthy with authentic Vietnamese taste .. safely, without worries, with strict cleanliness measures in accordance with state standards."

It may seem unfair that people in Thailand are getting to enjoy delicious Vietnamese food in the company of cuddly panda toys, while we continue to chow down on tins of beans in our houses, but the virus is far less wide spread there than it is in the UK.

Yesterday (Friday) the country reported no new cases and no deaths, while in the UK, as of 5pm on Thursday, there was a daily increase of 3,560 cases and 384 deaths.

Topics: Food, World News, Coronavirus, Thailand

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey