Virginia restaurant to fill empty seats with 1940s themed mannequins

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.

As restaurants begin to reopen in limited capacities under state-mandated orders, one Virginia eatery is getting creative in how it will fill vacant seats.

The Inn at Little Washington, a three-Michelin star restaurant tucked away in the countryside, will recruit life-size mannequins to sit in the unoccupied dining room spaces.

SHAKE SHACK WHIPS UP SOCIAL MEDIA COOKING SERIES FOR HOUSEHOLD CUSTOMERS

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor seating at 50 percent capacity beginning Friday in the state's "phase one" reopening plan. Indoor dining at half capacity may be allowed in phase two, Northam said last week.

The Inn has opted to remain closed until it is able to open the dining room.

"I've always had a thing for mannequins – they never complain about anything, and you can have lots of fun dressing them up," said Patrick O'Connell, chef and owner of The Inn at Little Washington. "When we needed to solve the problem of social distancing and reducing our restaurant's occupancy by half, the solution seemed obvious – fill it with interestingly dressed dummies. This would allow plenty of space between real guests and elicit a few smiles and provide some fun photo ops."

O'Connell, regarded as the "Pope of American cuisine" and awarded with the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, is always looking to uphold the Inn's charm and "relevantly irreverent" brand.

MCDONALD'S UNVEILS CORONAVIRUS REOPENING PLAN: EMPTY TABLES, MODIFIED BEVERAGE PROCEDURES

The Inn is working with local companies Signature Theater and Design Foundry to create the sets.

"The Inn at Little Washington has always celebrated the 'living theatre' of a restaurant," O'Connell said. "We're all craving to gather and see other people right now. They don't all necessarily need to be real people."

The dining team will treat the lifeless guests as real customers. The Inn cherishes an inherently theatrical ambiance, including a cheese cart that is a roaming, mooing cow equipped with a monger who speaks exclusively in cheese puns, a bug hotel, and a chandelier-adorned chicken coup. Hence, it only felt natural to have the servers occasionally check in on the mannequins, maybe even pour them some wine and ask about their day.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Diners will also be able to engage with the emotionless guests in 1940s era fashions. Photo ops with the displays will be welcome.

"When The Inn at Little Washington reached out with the idea to costume mannequins, we thought it was a fun and creative way for them to conform to social distancing guidelines," said Signature Theatre's Managing Director Maggie Boland. "We jumped at the chance to collaborate with another of Virginia's great cultural destinations in support of their reopening. Signature's costume shop manager, Frederick Deeben, went to work pulling costumes and accessories to outfit the mannequins – dining couples – in 1940s style dress. We can't wait to see the dining room all decked out for a post-war party!"

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

The Inn at Little Washington, a 23-room, Double 5 Star, Double 5 Diamond inn and world-revered restaurant, is sprawled across a 24-acre campus of plentiful gardens, mountain views, winding trails and farmland.