A Kelowna restaurant is getting creative in order to keep people safe as they dine out.
Curious Artistry and Alchemy Café has put a cap on how many people they can have inside the restaurant, ensuring physical distancing is happening by using giant teddy bears to mark spaces where people shouldn’t sit.
And while teddy bears are a unique way to social distance, the café also launched a new way of dining for their customers: the bubble experience.
Curious Café has a small patio area, where owner Luigi Coccaro decided to install a plastic bubble, that could be used by those who have been in the same social circle to dine together safely: from COVID-19 and from the weather.
Bar manager Ryan Chodola said Coccaro really wanted to be innovative when it came to keeping customers safe while still maintaining the café’s atmosphere.
“(Coccaro) wanted to provide a unique expansion during these COVID times,” he said.
“He found this bubble online and it just clicked… for a nice dining experience for Curious customers.”
The new bubble intrigued so many residents that less than a week after it was installed, it’s already booked up until mid-November.
“It has seen very positive feedback. There’ve been a few kinks to work out because it’s totally new to us, but it’s been beautiful so far.”
As for other Kelowna restaurants offering a similar experience, Chodola said they aren’t aware of others doing literal bubbles like theirs in the area, though he did mention a South Okanagan coffee shop that also had plastic domes.
Chodola said he’s not sure what’s in store in terms of safe dining experience for Coccaro’s other restaurants La Bussola and Gather, but he said he’s sure it’ll be just as unique as the bubble at Curious.
READ: Hang out in your own personal bubble at this South Okanagan cafe
