Ah, buffets. One of the main standards by which many judge airport and hotel club lounges.
But will people be too worried about using buffets when travel ramps up again? Will airlines and hotels even open up themselves to any potential involved risks?

I think buffets and other self-service options will exist again after COVID-19 gets its walking papers. Retrofitting locations for full-service setups and staffing them would, I believe, be too cost-prohibitive.

There’s always the option to do away completely with self-service food and beverage offerings. But that disincentivizes people to renew lounge memberships or take advantage of credit cards that offer airport lounge access.

Some people don’t seem to worry about catching COVID-19, while others won’t do anything until there’s a vaccine or other “all clear” signal.
Sneeze guards are one thing. And given a heightened awareness of respiratory droplets, they should be required (if not already).

But people touching serving utensils is another issue. This would potentially get costly — but what if lounges required guests to use a new set of disposable gloves each during each trip to a buffet?
I’ve always been good about using hand sanitizer after getting food from a buffet or pouring a drink from a self-service bar (or another beverage dispenser). I’ll become religious about it when travel resumes!

But some people were never fans of buffets.
Commenting on yesterday’s post about which North American restaurant is the continent’s highest revenue generator, reader Marcos said, “Nope. Always avoid buffets due to sanitary concerns of how others improperly use them. This was even prior to [COVID-19].”
What Will You Do?
Will you still use buffets? What other suggestions do you have for lounges? Please share your thoughts in the below Comments section!
— Chris
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