Michelin-starred Virginia restaurant reopening, using mannequins to fill empty dining room
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The crowd is getting a little stiff at one Virginia restaurant.
The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Va., is planning on reopening for dinner service later this month as Virginia begins phase one for non-essential businesses reopening — but some of its initial clientele might seem a little lifeless.
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During the first phase of reopening, restaurants in the state will be allowed to have diners eats outside only, and patios are being limited to 50 percent capacity.
However, the Michelin 3-starred restaurant, where the tasting menu starts at $248 per person, didn’t want its coveted tables to go to waste during the mandate. So, chef Patrick O’Connell decided to seat a different crew: mannequins dressed in the finest fashions.
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The debonair dolls are positioned dining at the tables, or sitting on couches, seemingly in conversation. (The Inn at Little Washington)
The decorated mannequins, of which there are photos on the restaurant's social media page, are seen wearing coiffed wigs and 1940’s-era tea-length dresses for the “women,” while the male mannequins are buttoned up in three-piece suits with ties and hats.
The debonair dolls are positioned dining at the tables, or sitting on couches, seemingly in conversation, and probably discussing their luck at snagging a seat at the award-winning restaurant.
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All jokes — and mannequins — aside, O’Connell told the Washingtonian that his restaurant is taking the COVID-19 crisis seriously, and intends on keeping Washington, Va., free of cases. Rappahannock County, where Washington is located, currently has no confirmed deaths and only 10 positive cases.
“I think it would do people a world of good to reduce their anxiety level when they come out to a place which is still unaffected, because if you watch your television, you think that there isn’t such a place under a bubble,” said O’Connell.
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The chef added that his staff is conducting deep cleanings and will be wearing face masks featuring another special touch — each mask will be designed with either Marilyn Monroe’s signature smile or George Washington’s chin.