OCEAN CITY, Md. (WBOC/AP)- An Ocean City restaurant is using bumper tables intended to separate customers and keep them six feet apart in outdoor settings, according to social distancing guidelines put in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inflated tube tables created by Baltimore- based Revolution Event Design & Production were debuted at Fish Tales restaurant on Saturday. In a video taken by a social media user, people were seen rolling out in customized tables, essentially inner tubes on wheels at the restaurant.
The tables are designed with a hole in the middle to accommodate people between 4 and 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall. Participants can then move themselves around using the wheels attached to the bottom of the table and maintain a 6-foot (2-meter) distance from each other.
“We wanted to come up with a creative and fun way to keep everyone safe and compliant, but still bring back the social and festive and party aspect of the event,” said Erin Cermak, the CEO of Revolution Event Design & Production.
Shawn Harman, the owner of Fish Tales, said he and his wife have purchased 10 bumper tables from Cermak’s company. Harman said he plans to order 40 more tables so customers can enjoy their food and remain distanced while dining in the restaurant’s parking lot.
“If you come in to get a pound of shrimp and a beer, you can stand in one of these and walk around and look at things and talk to people,” Harman said. He said the reception to the bumper tables was positive when his family and friends took them out for a trial run outside his restaurant Saturday.
“There are other restaurants in other parts of the country that have contacted us to get information to order them,” Harman said.
Cermak, who is the cousin of Harman’s wife, said that many restaurants, cafes, and even a sports franchise have contacted her after news outlets reported on the tables. She said her company can customize them for businesses and also rent them out per day.
Fish Tales is currently open for takeout, but the restaurant plans to use the bumper tables when outdoor dining returns.