Hanoi Restaurant Uses Drone To Serve Flying Banh Mi To Diners, Because Social Distancing

Hanoi restaurant serves flying banh mi by drone

With COVID-19 being a major global threat, many countries are encouraging their citizens to practice social distancing to limit the spread of the virus, and Vietnam is no exception.

When you’re dining at a restaurant, though, it’s hard for a waiter to avoid coming near you. But you know what they say: modern problems require modern solutions. A restaurant in Hanoi has been reducing contact between waiters and diners, while delighting diners at the same time, by using a drone to bring food to their tables.

An interesting idea amidst the COVID-19 outbreak

Customers are happy to be served by the drone
Image credit: VNExpress.net

Lươn O Quế, a restaurant in the Thanh Xuân district of Hanoi, has drawn a lot of attention from the media recently thanks to its creative idea of using a drone to bring food such as bánh mì to its customers.

The mind behind the idea is Mr Nguyễn Đức Sơn, the son-in-law of the restaurant’s owner who also happens to be a drone enthusiast. He shared that it was only an experiment to entertain regular customers, as his father-in-law’s business had been dwindling ever since the COVID-19 outbreak.

“I’m surprised that the video of our drone attracted so much attention from netizens. Our customers are also intrigued and entertained by the idea,” Mr Sơn told dantri.com.vn.

He added, “I noticed that people were reluctant to come in close contact with our staff for fear of the virus. Many just got takeaway or ordered online, so I wanted to reassure them with something interesting.”

The drone is just a show for entertainment

The drone can only carry light items
Image credit: Dantri.com.vn

The drone cannot carry anything too heavy, so it is only used to deliver bread and condiments. These items are put in a paper bag, which is then hooked onto a string attached to the drone, and then brought to the diner.

Mr Sơn also emphasizes that this is just a gimmick for fun. To put drone delivery into actual daily use, many factors need to be considered, such as hardware limits and the space and layout of the restaurant.

Video credit:@ducsonapple

See the drone in action here.

Regardless, the unique idea has fascinated many customers. Mrs Nguyễn Hồng Hà, a customer, shared with dantri: “I’ve been eating here for a very long time, but this is the first time I’ve been served by a drone. It feels novel and interesting, and it is also a good method [to serve food] given the COVID-19 situation. The way I see it, the owner is very creative and careful, and he only experiments when there are not many customers around. ”

Some much-needed quirkiness

It is heartening to see that the grim circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak have not limited people’s creativity. In these times, quirky stories like these come as a much-needed breath of fresh air to boost our spirits in the fight against COVID-19.

For more COVID-19 stories, check out:

Cover image adapted from VNExpress.net

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