4 easy ways to make takeout feel special, according to chefs and restaurateurs

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Crystal Cox/Business Insider

• Now is the time to support your favorite local restaurants, but if you're used to dining out regularly, eating takeout at home can feel uninspiring.
• We interviewed four chefs and restauranteurs on taking at-home dining to the next level through small steps like adding some mood lighting to your dinner table, breaking out the cloth napkins, or enhancing that pizza delivery with a drink pairing.

While some stay-at-home orders have lifted and restaurants have opened in select states, there are still many places where you can't yet dine in. You can probably order takeout from your favorite local spot, but we all know it's not exactly the same experience.

Don't get me wrong — some nights, I'm so tired and lazy that eating directly out of the container doesn't bother me at all. However, I also have plenty of moments when I miss the ambiance and excitement of an evening restaurant reservation.

As I've discovered during quarantine, much of my personality is based on going out to eat, and if yours is too, you're probably wondering how you can conjure a restaurant-like atmosphere when you're stuck at home.

For tips, I consulted people who turn food and drink into experiences for a living:

• Ben Powell, co-owner of speakeasy and piano bar Fable Lounge
• Maneet Chauhan, celebrity chef and co-founder of Morph Hospitality Group
• Mee McCormick, chef and founder of farm-to-kitchen cafe Pinewood Kitchen & Mercantile
• Jim Gerakaris, certified sommelier at Justin Vineyards & Winery

Below, they offer their best ideas for how to make mealtimes special again. None of them require massive effort or fancy equipment, and they prove that small tweaks can make quite the difference.