Peter Luger fills his dining room with wax figures

Eleven months after the start of the pandemic, it has become clear that saving restaurants will require extreme measures. They’re doubling their take-out sales. They become grocery stores. They build chalets in the snow. After almost a year, they are still asking for sector aid. The good people of Peter Luger have another idea, however.

The idea is: wax figures of famous people.

Starting tomorrow, restaurants in New York City will be allowed to increase their indoor occupancy to 35%. This leaves 65% of the space unoccupied.

Or does he do it? The 35% capacity rule only applies to real people. There is no stipulation on people wax, which is why, according to a press release, the “iconic steakhouse” has teamed up with Madame Tussauds to “fill the empty seats” with wax replicas of celebrities . “Diners are invited to toast with Jon Hamm at the bar, enjoy a stylish moment with Audrey Hepburn or laugh with Jimmy Fallon,” the press release says, promising an “unforgettable dining experience.” I believe it. I will never forget this culinary experience, neither in my waking life nor in my dreams.

Don’t worry: Al Roker will also be there “while waiting to direct diners to the second floor.” All he can do is wait. This is because it is made of wax.

Peter Luger isn’t the first restaurant to experiment with fake customers. In May, the Michelin-starred Inn in Little Washington, outside DC, reopened with an “irreverent” coterie of models dressed in 1940s clothing. A Michigan pizzeria draped its empty seats with ghosts in cloth. bed. But it’s revolutionary: Wax Audrey hardly ever appears anywhere.

Although they can’t move on their own, the special guest will only be there for a short time. If you want to toast Jon Hamm, you’ll need to do so before March 1.