A Guide to How Dining Out Has Changed . It's safe to say that the pandemic has altered just about every aspect of daily life. Here are six changes to dining out that seem like they may be here to stay. 1, Early Bird Dinners . Gone are the days of the late dinner reservation. An earlier dinner hour has become much more common in the pandemic era. 2, QR Menus . Scanning the code at the table was novel pre-pandemic. It now seems as if it may be here to stay. 3, Flatware Wraps. In order to handle utensils less, restaurants have shifted to using disposable roll-up flatware. 4, Drive-Thru Lanes. Drive-thrus are an old concept, but they've become common even with chains such as Applebees and Chipotle. 5, Non-Alcoholic Drinks. As people began to take stock of their pandemic drinking habits, "near beer" and other non-alcoholic drinks have become more popular. 6, Restaurants Have Gone Retail. Restaurants have gotten creative with their merch in order to increase both advertising and sales