Please Don’t Let This Creepy Trend Come To NJ Restaurants

I saw this story when I was scrolling through Facebook, and it looks like the most surreal, creepy, and just weird thing ever.

A restaurant in Virginia is taking a unique approach to social distancing and capacity rules. Rather than just leaving half of the seats inside empty, they're going to fill those chairs with mannequins. The Inn at Little Washington somehow decided that customers would feel more awkward eating in a less-crowded dining room than they would be surrounded by fellow diners who just stare into the void.

Tell me that image isn't terrifying. It's like something from a horror movie. If I went into a restaurant and the hostess walked me through a dining area that was filled with mannequins I'd be 99% sure that I was about to be murdered, or at least submitted to some torturous process that dunked me in a weird plastic that kept me alive and aware of my surroundings but unable to move or speak, while new people walked into the restaurant and commented on how life-like the mannequins are.

Yes, I understand that The Inn at Little Washington isn't the same as just going to get a burger at the Lighthouse in Waretown. The Inn has a 3-star Michelin score, there are 23 rooms, the tasting menu will set you back $250. Still, if The Inn gets some publicity for this stunt, I'm sure more restaurants will do the same just as a gag...but I know I can't be the only one who would find it more creepy than funny.

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