ENTERPRISING cafe owners in Marlborough have invented their own 'safety pods' so families and groups of people can enjoy dining in their own zones.
David and Deborah Panzetta run the dining room in St Peter's Church.
"We have been here ten years, and now have a full restaurant menu," said Deborah.
"We designed and made the pods ourselves, and it seems to be working really well as people come as a family, but are not in contact with people sitting at the next table."
She said it has allowed them to keep the restaurant at the capacity it was before lockdown.
"We rent the place from the Trust that runs the church and they have been really good and given us extra space so we can maintain social distancing.
"It has been absolutely brilliant and we are having to turn people away as we don't have the tables available."
But they say they are occassionally having difficulty explaining to people who wonder in that they cannot come in just to see the church.
"They need to have a booking, and people do just turn up, sometimes to look around and also to use the toilets," said Deborah.
"Most people seem to understand, but there are one or two who are less convinced! I've been shouted at by a couple of people.
"I think we have gone over and above Government guidelines to keep everybody safe. As you can see, the waitresses take the order and stand back from the tables and when they bring food out it comes on a trolley and the customers take it off. We don't clear the tables until the customers have gone so it minimises contact."
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