Popular London micro-chain Padella is still having to run its waiting lists, even during the current Covid-19 crisis.
This comes during a period of general instability for the restaurant industry, and hospitality industry more generally, as people are asked to avoid public areas and 'social venues' during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Although the government's current advice is to avoid pubs, clubs and restaurants where possible, it hasn't definitively announced that restaurants must close. So it seems that while people still can, they're making the journey over to one of Padella's two London restaurants to try and grab a bowl of its Instagram-famous pasta.
The pasta restaurants' policy is that you have to join an online queue on the Walk In app at the beginning of dinner service, and then once you reach the front of the queue, you have to go straight to the restaurant. Padella is doing its bit too though, by spreading the tables further apart than normal so as to make sure that people are not sitting too close to one another.
While many restaurants are having to temporarily close their doors, it's good to see that some places are still managing to thrive during the toughest time the indsutry has faced in recent history.
Padella's flagship Borough restaurant first opened its doors in 2016 and was quickly met with a huge amount of acclaim due to the fact it was able to offer top quality pasta dishes for incredibly reasonable prices. It quickly became one of the hottest spots in London, and is famously difficult to get a table at due to its no advanced booking policy. This year saw the opening of a new Shoreditch outpost.
In the meantime, here are some other ways that you can support the restaurant industry during this difficult time.