As movement restrictions are easing up in many countries, people are looking forward to enjoying activities they were deprived of. Outdoor dining is one of them and companies have come up with innovative strategies to make the experience safer and fun. 

We have seen a lot of restaurants around the world using bubbles to accommodate guests while ensuring sanitary safety (more here). The town of Mountain Village, in the USA, has turned its center’s plaza into an outdoor dining pavilions perfect for takeout, with private dining spaces. The innovative point here is that it creates these spaces using refurbished gondola cabins from surrounding ski resorts. 25 gondolas have been transformed into eating areas with heating, lighting and Bluetooth sound systems to host customers of the resort’s restaurants.

It helps local businesses stay alive during a difficult time while attracting tourists and food enthusiasts in the town.  

Not only does this initiative help recycle machines that were destined to be trashed, but it also offers a unique experience and help revive a city center. This is exactly what people are looking for post-pandemic. Consumption habits have changed and attention to sustainability, the environment and local support have never been stronger. Companies taking these changes into account and building new experiences aligned with this shift will be ahead of the rest.