Restaurant turns into drive-through to stay open

Faced with the prospect of having to shut down his Frankfurt restaurant due to German regulations prohibiting groups of people from gathering to try and slow the spread of the new coronavirus, 50-year-old Thomas Metzmacher came up with a solution.

After toying with the idea of a delivery service, he instead turned his half-timbered restaurant into a makeshift drive-through, serving up his signature Aeppelwoi cider, schnitzel, fried potatoes and other regular menu items to customers lining up in their cars.

Normally Metzmacher's 'Zum Lahmen Esel', which has been in operation since 1807, seats some 200 people inside and another 200 in an outdoor garden.

Now, cars drive up to a small booth set up outside the restaurant, where one of Metzmacher's employees takes their order, and then pushes a plastic tub down a makeshift slide to the car's window to take payment at a safe distance.

Driving ahead, the customer then gets their order paper bagged in another tub pushed to their window.

"It's going great," says Metzmacher. "My regulars are supporting me, they're really happy I'm open and happy to come."

Without people sticking around for a few more of the signature ciders, the profit margin is low but Metzmacher says it's better than nothing.

"At least it continues and we can work", he said.

Germany has 95,637 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, and 1,395 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University at 2000 GMT on Saturday.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

The vast majority of people recover.

(Image Credit Pixabay)