COVID-19 has changed how we share our restaurant experiences

This Labor Day weekend, even if Baton Rougeans weren’t off at the beach, they were still trying to get out of the house. And who could blame us? Holiday weekends are the time to take a break, and we need one more than ever after all the time spent following federal and state restrictions and staying home as much as we can.

Restaurants from Mid City to the Perkins Road overpass area were hopping all weekend—with crammed tables of diners veering dangerously close to breaking social distancing and capacity rules.

After a spring and summer spent avoiding public spaces and encouraging our friends and family to do the same, even the most diligent among us have craved a night of letting someone else cook for us—and even better if that meal is made by chefs at a restaurant.

But you might not know it based on your social media feed. As Eater points out in a recent article, the act of dining out still feels sneaky for many of us. Like we’re breaking a social contract, even though some COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted for restaurants around the country.

“That fear of being perceived as being a hypocrite has been enough to stop people from being transparent on social media about their actions,” says writer Jaya Saxena, “though it’s not enough to keep them from going out altogether.”

Amidst that need for a return to normalcy, there’s also the desire to support our favorite restaurants and workers who have struggled so much during the pandemic to keep their businesses afloat.

And while we are consciously being somewhat less active with our food posts on social media, it’s also changed the way we talk about the experience among friends and coworkers—if we even share that at all. “Rather than gush about the food or the experience, any story of dining out is usually prefaced with a slew of justifications and explanations about why this particular instance was OK,” Saxena says.

Read on for the rest of the story from Eater. And let us know in the comments: Have you dialed back your social media sharing of meals at local restaurants? Be honest!