Southern restaurant fills empty seats with blow-up dolls


Yesterday, we learned that Michelin-starred restaurant The Inn in Washington, DC had seated elegantly-dressed mannequins at their tables to fill the void left by half-capacity restrictions. Turns out, the Open Hearth restaurant in Taylors, South Carolina hit on the same idea but their approach matches the eatery's more casual atmosphere. From UPI:


[Proprietor Paula Starr] Melehes said she ordered "the G-rated kind" of inflatable dolls from Amazon, dressed them up like customers and seated them at tables that would be off-limits to diners.


"My grandson told me they look kind of creepy," Melehes said. "But, I think, when people walk in, they're going to laugh."