A restaurant in Thailand placed stuffed pandas at its tables to keep diners company while social distancing

• At a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, customers practice social distancing and dine with stuffed pandas.
• Maison Saigon had originally placed one chair at each table, but the owner told Reuters it felt empty, so he placed stuffed panda bears around the restaurant.
• Other restaurants have also found creative ways to encourage social distancing. Cardboard cutouts fill one restaurant in Australia, and customers are required to wear pool noodle hats at a café in Germany.
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In Thailand, friends and family members might not join you for dinner, but stuffed panda bears will.

When Maison Saigon initially reopened, it had encouraged social distancing by placing one chair at each table. But the owner said it felt isolating and empty, so he decided to give his customers some company in the form of stuffed animals.

Now, pandas fill the seats at the Vietnamese restaurant in Bangkok

"Earlier we had only one chair for the tables where the customer came alone. But for me, it felt strange, so I thought I'd give them some company," Natthwut Rodchanapanthkul, the owner of Maison Saigon, told Reuters.

One diner said he enjoyed the unique company as he dined out for the first time in months. "The doll makes me feel less lonely eating by myself," Sawit Chaiphuek told Reuters.

According to Timeout, Thailand relaxed some of its lockdown restrictions starting May 3, which included restaurants and cafés. However, they are still required to follow strict social-distancing guidelines.

Maison Saigon isn't the only restaurant taking a creative approach to social distancing

In Australia, a restaurant owner added cardboard cutouts in hopes of making his customers feel like they're having a typical dining experience.

The restaurant owner also plans to play guest "chatter" on the speakers to help his guests feel more comfortable when dining.

At a restaurant in Washington, Virginia, mannequins were added to tables to fill the empty dining room. Meanwhile, a café in Germany jokingly had customers wear pool noodle hats to follow social-distancing guidelines.

• Read more:
• A restaurant in Amsterdam built small greenhouses for diners to enjoy a meal in while social distancing
• A restaurant in Australia is placing cardboard cutouts at its tables in an attempt to make diners feel more comfortable
• From strip clubs to church confessionals, 14 photos show how places around the world are getting creative with drive-thru experiences
• An artist turned a closed diner into an art gallery during lockdown by hanging her colorful paintings in the windows