My local grocery store is pretty much back to normal. No more unidirectional aisles, no more counting customers as they walk in, bags from home are accepted again; the only restriction in place is mask-wearing. That said, early in the pandemic, they removed their bulk foods section (where you can scoop grains, nuts, and other items into a bag and pay by weight) and it has still not returned (originally it was just blocked off and the food was removed, but I noticed all the containers are gone now so I don’t think it’s coming back). Other stores in the area that had bulk foods sections have also not brought them back.

Additionally, every Mexican restaurant in the area that had a salsa bar closed it down last year and has also not yet brought them back. Salad bars and buffets are also still absent.

Do you think these “self-serve” options will be coming back or are they are a thing of the past? What has been happening with them where you live? Kind of ridiculous since I’d like to see one example of someone who caught COVID from a dang salsa bar.

Topics: food, restaurants, health, safety, stores, groceries