If you’re as ready as we were to sit down with friends again, come along as we host a social distancing dinner party. Welcome to Bistro Mantel and Table!
Here’s how we did it.
1 ~Invite Just A Few Special People
How many “A Few” is will depend on how big a space you have! But obviously, the fewer, the better! We had two others for this particular party.
(We’ve also had some social distancing parties with our wonderful neighbors! Their large backyard or a fire basket at the end of our driveways is so much fun. Plus we can each use our own restrooms! Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good photos of those!)
2 ~ Be Clear on the Social Distancing Expectations
Let your guests know your expectations right up front. You want everyone to be prepared. In our case, we maintained the “Masks or six feet” social distancing rule.
3 ~ Find A Good Location
We have a big front porch that easily holds two tables. There’s lots of air flow, and shade during the day.
4 ~ Social Distancing For Tables
Placing your tables is important. Since most of the guests will be at their tables most of the time, this is key. The six foot rule is minimum. Plus you want room to serve, and room to get up and walk around the tables.
Our tables were about 8 feet apart, edge to edge. That was plenty of social and practical distance!
5 ~Wear Your Masks
Duh, but I had to say it! When you’re not actually at your socially distant tables, wear your masks.
6 ~ Make a Social Distancing Path To The Restroom
We happen to have a very open path from the front porch to the restroom. But if you don’t, you’ll want to clear one with as few “touch points” as possible. Also, instead of cloth towels, it’s a good idea to have disposable hand towels in the bathroom.
Plus, it would be good to have sanitizing wipes in the bathroom too. That way, guests could wipe down any touch points (door handles, stair railings, etc.) on their way back out. And if you put a little trash can by the front door, they won’t have to wonder what to do with that wipe once they get back to their table!
7 ~ Set Your Tables Beforehand
I wanted to make sure things were as calm as possible, so people could just sit at their tables and relax. (Read: Not move around and bump into each other a lot!) So earlier in the day, I put on my mask, washed my hands, and took my dishes out of the dishwasher. Then I set the tables!
8 ~ Separate Appetizer Plates
I also had separate appetizer plates that I’d put together earlier in the day. That way, nobody had to share plates or move to a central table.
9 ~ Who Was That Masked Server?
You’ll want to have a dedicated server. I was ours at this particular dinner party. I wore my mask whenever I was handling or serving food. My wonderful husband did all the grilling. He put the food on a platter using tongs, then went and joined our guests.
So I got to be on my own in the kitchen with my clean hands and my mask. Arranging and serving the dinner was easy with the food already grilled.
10 ~ Reach to Clear the Table
When you’re done eating, have your guests reach way out to hand you their plates. And you reach way out to grab them. This was kind of fun. We tried to see how straight we could get our arms!
Of course, you could use paper plates, and just have your guests throw their own away.
Enjoy Your Friends!
Any way you do it, it’s the joy of seeing your friends that’s important. If you follow these 10 steps – and any others you can think of – you can share a social distancing dinner and still stay safe!
Hope you get to try it soon!
Pin The Social Distancing Dinner For Later
What a wonderful way to have people over and social distance at the same time.
Love your porch, it’s so spacious!
Hugs,
RR
Thanks so much Rachelle! We love our porch, but until our backyard got torn up, we didn’t use it very much. Now we really like being out there! Maybe someday we’ll get the backyard back in shape, then we’ll have two places to hang out! 🙂 I’m so glad you stopped by – I’ll pop over to My Hubbard Home soon and see what you’re up to too! Take care my friend!
What a fun and smart idea for these times! I’m sure many people would appreciate this social distancing dinner party idea, Barbara!
Thanks Julie! We sure miss having people over, and though we’re still really careful, it’s nice to have an option once in a while! Take care down there my friend – we’ve had some of your heat the last couple days! 🙂
What a creative way to entertain! I am missing entertaining so much! I may have to try this!
I know – we were going crazy! 😉 But it really is fun and you get used to the distancing routine. Let me know what you think! 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Barbara,
What a clever person you are! The front porch looks like the perfect place to gather. We really need contact and people in our lives, right? In our neighborhood, we started Wine at the Wall Wednesdays where we meet 3 other couples. With social distancing and everyone bringing their own wine glass (and mask), we spend about 1.5 hours just connecting. It has been so helpful during these stressful months. thanks for sharing!
Hi Mary! Yes we DO need contact! Your Wine at the Wall Wednesdays sound like the perfect arrangement, and it’s great to have a designated evening to look forward to! Thanks so much for stopping by my friend, and hope you stay cool down there this week!
Barbara, what a great idea! You thought of everything to be safe and still enjoy a meal with friends. Thanks for sharing your wonderful party…Happy Friday!
Hi Pam – thanks, and you’re welcome! We so miss seeing our friends, so we were excited to make a plan! 🙂 Hope you’re doing well and having fun down there – thanks so much for stopping by! 💗
Oh, Barbara! You are so wonderful to do something like this – what a logistical nightmare this virus is to deal with, right?
Your porch is AMAZING I absolutely positively love it!!!!!! You put on the most perfect party – and thought of everything to keep everyone safe.
Your appetizers looks scrumptious, too! Well done, ma’am!!!!
Thanks so much Michele! Yes, the logistics of everyday things have really changed! So much more thought before we do anything. But I suppose being more thoughtful is not such a bad thing!
😉 I’m so glad you like the porch – we do too but it’s well past time for a little sprucing up. I’m sure that’ll be a Before & After sometime! 🙂 Take care over there and hope you have a wonderful weekend my friend! 💗
What a fun idea Barbara! Great post and wonderful tips and tricks. Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad you like it Chas! It was really a good time, and we’re so excited to see people again – a few at a time! 🙂 Hope you have a great day my friend! 💗
You thought of everything Barbara! I would love to dine on your beautiful porch and feel completely comfortable that I was doing it very safely. Happy Thursday!
Well you just come on out and I’ll make you a nice safe table! (And feel free to bring dessert!) 🙂 Hope you’re having a lovely day over there! 💗