Arrival moves outside

Challenge

On March 18, 2020, the assembly ban in Denmark was tightened, and gatherings of more than ten people were forbidden. This signalled the start of a large number of restrictions and initiatives for restaurants, cafés, hairdressers, and other businesses.1 In the gradual reopening that followed, the hospitality industry was forced to find new business models and to continuously revise their approach when new restrictions or guidelines came into force. Some restaurants closed down indefinitely, while others restructured operations and began to offer takeaway, for example. When restaurants were finally allowed to welcome back diners, requirements included social distance, minimum space per diner, and presentation of a negative COVID-19 test or, later, COVID-19 certificate.2

Solution

Café Victor in Copenhagen is one of the first cafés to open in Denmark, and the Frenchinspired bar and restaurant is legendary in Copenhagen’s city and nightlife. The popular café has many guests on any single day, and the busy and lively atmosphere is part of the café experience. But with the new restrictions

Taxonomy

Sphere: Trade/Service, Culture/Leisure

Timescale: Long Term introduced in the spring of 2020, the café’s owners had to rethink the design to live up to requirements. This meant, among other things, that the café closed to standing guests and that the distance between tables was increased. When a negative COVID-19 test (and, later, a COVID-19 vaccination certificate) was required, the owners set up a manned arrival counter outside the café, where guests could wait in line until they were assigned a table inside. Over time, restrictions have been lifted, but the measures have had a positive effect – both on the guest experience and the café’s turnover. For this reason, the Sovino Group, which owns Café Victor, has decided to maintain all measures as permanent solutions. Resources have therefore also been spent on improving and beautifying the initiatives so that today they appear as a well-integrated part of the “Café Victor experience”.

The example shows how solutions created in an emergency can bring unexpected added value. In this case, the physical measures have contributed to developing the café experience, thus paving the way for a new way of thinking about the design of restaurants.

Type: Building Intervention

User Group: Employees/Service Providers, Customers/Users

Guests wait to be assigned a table outside Café Victor

Before COVID-19: Guests were free to enter Café Victor

After the introduction of restrictions: Guests are met at the arrival desk on the street

Project and location: Kasvattamo Greenhouse, Helsinki, Finland

Contributor: ROOH Studio

Established: June 2020 / Removed: September 2020