Social Distance Dining is Here to Stay

Social-distance-friendly travel options are in high demand as the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the six-month mark. And as the summer travel season winds down, now is an ideal time to plan a getaway to destinations offering outdoor dining and shopping opportunities.

Touristy locations are working tirelessly to welcome guests to outdoor shopping and dining experiences and some are even introducing other experiences that can be had at a safe distance.

Asheville, North Carolina

Capturing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is conveniently located in the center of the Eastern Seaboard. Asheville is known natural attractions, and hiking trails, so consider a lesser-known path offering the chance to explore the mountain landscape with solitude on a trail less traveled. Asheville’s Hike Finder tool helps trekkers choose trail experiences based on features, difficulty, views, and travel time.

Asheville is gaining attention as a small but exciting hub for culinary creativity where Appalachian food traditions and artisan goods blend together. Asheville’s collaborative food community offers guests a variety of dining options.

Hatteras Sky brings 50-60 Jobs back to Downtown

The twice James Beard Award-nominated Jacob Sessoms, 44, who opened the seasonally driven Table in Asheville in 2005, expects to have four concepts open in downtown later this year, all designed to accommodate what he thinks the post-COVID public will want. In doing so, Sessoms officially partnered with Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm Hatteras Sky. Hatteras Sky estimated the partnership would create 130-150 additional food and beverage job openings in 2021 and 2022 as anticipated developments come online.

Each space will be designed to open to the outside, allowing the extra airflow Sessoms thinks customers will want in the future. He will install sliding service windows to accommodate a shift to takeout if more shutdowns are ahead.

Sessoms will, as always, analyze food trends, which he think will move toward comfort food, much like they did after the last recession.

But he’ll also take into account the comfort level of consumers emerging cautiously — or not, dependent on their worldview — from widespread shutdowns.

 

Read the full USA TODAY article HERE.

Learn more about Hatteras Sky’s involvement in Asheville, despite coronavirus shutdowns, HERE.