'The Anti-Social Club': The UK's first purpose-built socially distanced restaurant to open in Cornwall

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The UK's first purpose-designed and built 'socially distanced' restaurant will be opening in one of Cornwall's most popular hotels.

The St Moritz Hotel & Spa, at Trebetherick, revealed it is opening a new summer restaurant nicknamed ‘The Anti-Social Club’ on Friday 4 July.

The restaurant will hold up to 96 people spread between 16 private dining rooms.

All food and drink will be delivered to these private rooms via a set of hatches.

There will be multiple dining times, clear guidance for guests and exacting operating procedures that ensure the two-metre rule and new environmental health requirements are met at all times.

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The design ensures that all the individual dining rooms are accessed from outside, with the service function being provided from a central atrium.

This means no member of the service team will ever need to go into the dining rooms, and the staggered dining times means guests won't run into each other.

Every room will be cleared and appropriately cleaned, then re-set-up, to meet all requirements, between each dining party.

The new restaurant merges the elements of private members clubs, private dining rooms, beach clubs and summer pop-up restaurants - mixing a Miami colour-pop palette with classic coastal themes.

The menus will use Cornish food suppliers and producers and across the high season the restaurant will require a team of at least 20 staff.

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The idea came from founders Hugh and Steve Ridgway, and the St Moritz director of restaurants Jonathan Domé.

Co-owner Hugh Ridgway said: “COVID-19 has stopped the industry in its tracks. Like all hotels, bars and restaurants across the globe, the virus has hit our business like an unbelievable sledgehammer.

"However, as ever, we have dusted ourselves off, and risen to this unpredictable challenge in our own creative, St Moritz way."

"Simply reworking our current restaurants and bars, and operating at 30% capacity doesn’t allow that, so our specially-designed summer ‘pop-up’ restaurant, overcomes this obstacle, adding to, rather than detracting from, our stylish, VIP guest experience."

The hotel rooms and the self-catering apartments and villas will open alongside the launch of the summer 'pop-up' restaurant.