As the world recovers from the Coronavirus epidemic, markets and restaurants have begun reopening in some measure. Sanitation is key to functioning of these restaurants, which have been asked to adhere to strict norms in the same respect. Thus, masks, shields, sanitisers and thermal scanners are now going to be common sight with restaurant staff. However, one restaurant in Brussels, Belgium, has decided to follow the rules in their own unique way. The restaurant staff have a quirky new addition to their uniforms - that of printed masks.
As Belgian customers return to restaurants after a three month lockdown, they have encountered staff wearing these printed masks. This quirky mask has the smile of the wearer printed on them, thus giving a respite from encountering expressionless faces or just the upper half of the face. The mask is turning out to be even more important for servers to build a relationship with the customers. This will likely help maintain customer loyalty in times when restaurants are already reeling with significant business losses.
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The idea for the printed masks was birthed by a Belgian company called Cheesebox, who partnered with the Lodge Restaurant in Brussels to create them. "We thought it was a bit dehumanising, and it's true that in some industries, that doesn't help with business. So we wanted to put a smile, a face, an identity on people. And so we came up with the idea of printing faces on masks," said Charles de Bellefroid, CEO of Cheesebox.
The company has installed a Photo Booth-like device in the restaurant in order to allow staff to print their masks with their smiles. It's a hit with the customers at the restaurants, who like the personal and welcoming touch that it lends to the restaurant's atmosphere. "I think it's great, at least you can recognise people. You can see what people look like. So it's a great initiative," said Audrey, a frequenter at the restaurant.
Do you think these masks should be a more frequent phenomena in other restaurants across the globe? Tell us in the comments below!