Boston Globe survey: One year before restaurants return to normal

A survey of 1,000 readers conducted by the Boston Globe found people bound into distinct groups on the question of when they’d feel comfortable dining out.

About one-third of respondents were eager to eat out, with 18% saying they’d return to restaurants as soon as possible and 13% back within a month after re-opening. Another 28% said they’d wait three to six months, while 22% would hold out for six to 12 months.

The survey found that fully one-fifth of Bostonians (19%) planned to stick with takeout and home cooking for at least a year after Massachusetts’ Phase 2 re-opening of bars and restaurants in June.

More than half the entire survey lacked faith that restaurants could truly provide safe social dining experiences after the pandemic.Thirty-eight percent said they were not particularly confident, and 15% related that they were not at all confident.

Popular new dining concepts should take a while to surface when things get back to normal. Ninety-eight percent of survey respondents said that they will stick to a few familiar restaurants when they go back out to eat. Only 13% said they would be willing to try a new establishment.