The new normal: What dining in 2022 will look like in NJ

There’s nothing better than a night in with takeout, but would we really want to do it every single night?

A lot of restaurants in New Jersey are bracing themselves for the winter and may be saying goodbye to indoor dining as a whole.

Throughout the pandemic, many aspects of life became digitized, one of the greatest being food delivery services. This was a way for businesses to thrive while facing the issue of being short-staffed. There is no need for hostesses or waiters when you are supplying food through an app like UberEats, which is how restaurants were able to survive the pandemic.

Considering the end, whether justified or not, does not seem near, many restaurants are planning to continue with this.

Preordering

Restaurants have also become used to preorders, and have many customers that purchase catered family dinners weekly. This has also served a consistent source of income for restaurants.

As a result of this shift in food hospitality, many New Jerseyeans have been creating new food delivery services in order to provide jobs to those seeking one in the area. Apps like UberEats and Postmates, while favorable, do not give restaurants enough profit, and as a result, smaller establishments are straying from these apps.

Ghost kitchens come to life

Then there are the ghost kitchens. Restaurants that exist only “for the apps,” meaning they have no brick and mortar locations. Rather, they prepare food in communal kitchens and simply exist to deliver.

This has been an extremely hard adjustment for both restaurant employees and diners as there is something special about sitting down for a nice meal away from home every once in a while.

While many restaurants are working to find a way to make dining as special as it once was, it’s going to be a challenge. In the meantime, support your local restaurants by using their delivery services and of course sharing reviews to social media.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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