Maryland bar unveils coronavirus social-distance drinking
'Everyone is just looking for a way to give their people some fun'
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How does a restaurant, bar or sports arena reopen and keep patrons and fans six feet apart?
Innertube tables on wheels.
That's the solution that Fish Tales in Ocean City, Maryland, created with Revolution Event Design and Production to welcome back its customers while keeping them socially distant.
"We thought, 'What could we engineer to put a smile on someone's face while keeping them safe and a cocktail in hand?'" Erin Cermak, owner of Baltimore-based Revolution Events, told FOX Business Monday. "And this is what happened."
It's just one example of how businesses are adapting to a new era. With dine-in service shifting for the foreseeable future, many owners have been scrambling to accommodate the social-distancing protocols health professionals say are necessary to lower COVID-19 infection risks.
Revolution's tube-top table rises about three feet from the ground, which is about the height of a kitchen counter. The tables are custom built with a PVC tabletop, an aluminum frame and a carrier for the inner tube. They can even be custom-designed for an event or business.
(Revolution Event Design & Production)
Cermak says the company is already getting orders from scores of businesses, including ice cream shops, restaurants and event-planning firms. Even Major League Baseball is trying to tap some of Revolution's services.
"Everyone is just looking for a way to give their people some fun," she said.
(Revolution Event Design & Production)
Unbranded tables will cost upwards of $400, and there's an extra $100 charge for branding. Rentals are about $200 a day.
The event planners already have 60 tables in production.
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Although Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan transitioned the state to a "Safer at Home" public health advisory on May 15, curbside pickup and delivery is still "highly encouraged."
That didn't stop a number of Revolution and Fish Tales employees from having a bit of fun in testing the tables out, however, to make sure they're ready when Fish Tales is ready to offer more than the curbside and carryout service available now.
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Cermak says the current environment has prompted Revolution to work on an arsenal of products that wouldn't have been possible before, forcing employees to think outside the box to deliver safety and fun simultaneously.
"Necessity is the mother of invention," she added.