St. Moritz Hotel & Spa in Cornwall has revealed its plans to open a purpose-built socially distanced restaurant.
Set to open on 4 July, the concept is the brainchild of founders and brothers Hugh and Steve Ridgway, as well as St. Moritz’s Director of Restaurants, Jonathan Domé. Nicknamed ‘The Anti-Social Club’, it will consist of 16 private dining rooms, catering to a maximum of 96 covers.
Interiors masterminded by Cornish agency Absolute, which provided the original design for the hotel, will take its inspiration from the clean, white Art Deco architecture of the building, mixing a subtle Miami colour-pop palette with classic coastal stripes, textures and flourishes.
Mixing the elements of members clubs, private dining rooms, cool beach clubs and summer pop-up restaurants, The Anti-Social Club will feature multiple dining times, clear guidance and exacting operating procedures that ensure the two-metre rule and new environmental health requirements are met at all times.
The pop-up concept has also been specifically designed to guarantee that the individual dining rooms are all accessed from outside, with the service function being provided from a central atrium, and all food and drink being delivered to the private spaces via a set of hatches.
“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,” says Hugh Ridgway. “However, as ever, we have dusted ourselves off, and risen to this unpredictable challenge in our own creative, St Moritz way.”
Steve Ridgway, who until last week was the Chairman of Visit Britain and former Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, adds: “We are forever talking about the pioneering British spirit and it’s true to say that out of adversity comes creativity. Within Visit Britain we have been encouraging the industry to discover, and unlock, experimental opportunities that provide a silver lining amongst the Covid challenges.
“With The Anti-Social Club, and other changes to St. Moritz Hotel & Spa, I am very much putting my money where my mouth is – and we’re all exceedingly pleased to have landed on a new concept and dining solution that elevates the summer experience there. Thousands of customers do not want to miss their summer holidays and this will mean that they won’t, and that they can holiday in a safe and enjoyable way.”
