We're sorry to say it, but it's quite possible the COVID-19 pandemic will have lasting effects on dining out as we know it – at least for the foreseeable future. At the start of the pandemic, restaurants were forced to close their dining rooms, making takeaway and delivery the new norm. Now, as cities reopen and restaurants begin welcoming diners to their tables, there are likely to be a few things missing post-pandemic. Here are 21 things we think we'll probably never see in restaurants again.

Let's be honest, the idea of shared utensils, double-dipping, and a parade of customers breathing over a line of uncovered dishes seems like a health and safety nightmare. Sadly, this means we've probably seen the last of all-you-can-eat and self-serve buffets in most restaurants. What remains to be seen is if self service-only restaurants and all-inclusive resorts will be able to find creative solutions to keep their buffets open and diners moving down the lines. 

For the same reasons as buffets, salad bars are likely to be hard to come by post-pandemic both at restaurants and some grocery stores. Once again, you've got open dishes, shared utensils, and a line of people breathing over all the food. While it's not nearly as fun, it's probably in everyone's interest to satisfy their crunch cravings straight off the menu. Check out these salads you can make at home too. 

In pre-COVID times, most restaurants would preset every setting at an open table so it was ready and waiting for diners. Any extra settings were then removed. However, we'll probably see most restaurants ditch this practice post-pandemic, if only to ease the minds of diners who want to ensure they are receiving fresh glasses, napkins, and flatware when they arrive.

While grabbing tiny dishes of your choosing off a moving conveyor belt definitely holds a bit of novelty no matter how many times you do it, the future doesn't look great for these high-touch restaurant concepts. The chances of cross-contamination are high in a conveyor belt setting since diners can make a casual grab for a dish as it passes by only to change their mind and place it back on the belt a moment later. Some popular restaurants are already making changes to their systems, with food and drinks pre-selected and only what you order delivered directly to you via the belt.

If you're the type of person to looks forward to a nice slice of citrus straddling your water glass rim, we've got some sad news: drink garnishes are probably goners – at least in most circumstances. There's just so much hands-on touching that goes into prepping and placing the slice that most restaurants are likely to opt-out of the risk. However, there's nothing saying you can't ask for one nicely...

Looking back, using unwrapped straws seems like a bit of a dubious practice, even if it's just the bartender who's repeatedly reaching into the supply. After all, they are sitting there getting exposed to who-knows-what before we put them directly into our mouths. So, count these in with the rest of the post-COVID casualties we'll see at restaurants and bars going forward.

Looking for the ketchup? You won't find it on your table anymore. Restaurants are likely to keep tables as sparse as possible in order to control diner touchpoints. Instead, they'll probably serve condiments in single-serve disposable containers, and only upon request. The trickiest condiments to dole out in single servings? Salt and pepper.

Speaking on condiments, you can wave good-bye to shared condiment stations. Like buffets and salad bars, these are risky territory since multiple customers would be dipping, squirting, and handling the same condiments over and over.

If you're noticing a pattern here, it's that most things that end up being touched over and over by different patrons will be eliminated. Unfortunately, this also includes non-disposable menus. You know, the thick, hefty, stylish ones. The good news is that maybe this will encourage some restaurants to experiment a bit with seasonal offerings. Pus menus accessed via your mobile phone means less paper wasted too.

One of the more upsetting losses we’ll see (or not see as the case may be) is the absence of large parties seated together. While social distancing restrictions may ease up, restaurants may stick to smaller limits on the number of people per party. That means no more grouping tables together or booking out for birthday parties.

Long gone will be the days of sharing a table with strangers in a restaurant. COVID-19 has made people more cautious about how close they are to fellow diners. While some folks have always relished their own space when eating out, others will miss the chance meetings and social vibes of sharing a table in the dining room. 

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While not as egregious as a self-serve buffet, you can pretty much count on anything self-serve biting the dust, including self-serve soda machines. The fact that fountain sodas often come with free refills – aka people making repeated trips and reusing their cups at the same machine – only makes it worse.

Speaking of cups, you’re not likely to see any self-serve cup stations post-pandemic since they pose such a high contamination risk. Think about it: how many times have you grabbed a stack up cups just to separate off the one you need. And then there are the lids; we’re willing to bet that each lid is pre-matched with a cup in the future.

In the same vein as grab-your-own cups, grab-your-own cutlery and cutlery dispensers aren’t likely to make a comeback. Again, this is because people end up unnecessarily touching several other pieces of cutlery while trying to grab the one they’ll walk away with. Remember, you’re putting those forks, knives, and spoons directly in your mouth. A possible exception? Individually-wrapped cutlery sets.

DIY napkin dispensers will also be rendered risky, so be prepared to ask for any napkins you’ll need for your meal when you’re ordering. The good news is that this one probably won’t affect most dine-in restaurants unless they fall under the fast food category. Now read about the tasty fast food joints you probably haven't tried.

It used to be customary for restaurants to use a water pitcher to refill water glasses on all their tables. Waiters would walk around from table to table and then store the pitcher somewhere out of the way until it was needed. However, due to the communal nature of the water pitcher, it’ll probably be stored away permanently going forward. The same goes for help-yourself pitchers placed at the end of the bar in pubs and coffee shops too.

Love it or hate it, tableside music isn’t going to make the cut in a post-COVID restaurant. No matter how talented the musicians are, restaurants aren’t likely going to want to risk a group of people traveling around from table to table—especially if there’s a singer in the group.

Speaking of singing at tables, don’t expect the wait staff to gather around your table anymore. Be prepared to celebrate your big day in silence as a handful of people swarming around a table, gleefully singing (and expelling loads of air) will be frowned upon.

In fancier restaurants it was previously common for the chef to come out and personally visit diners at their tables. Not anymore. From now on, you can expect the chef to stay in the kitchen (hopefully following all the new health safety protocols!).

While it’s not likely that lines will be much of a thing in the future, you probably won’t be able to grab that leisurely drink at the bar while you wait for your table. In fact, there will probably be a separate bar area to minimize crowding and discourage congregating.

Another strike against self-serve staples, ice cream machines will be frozen out since their handles are such high-touch surfaces and often guests are required to grab their own cones or dishes from a dispenser. 

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