Boston Pizza releases patio dining etiquette manual for those emerging from lockdown

Brands have started to take charge on teaching us how to return to civilization, as in Seagram’s guide to dive bars that launched last week. Now, Boston Pizza is lending a hand to Canadian diners who have only recently been allowed to go back to restaurants for outdoor dining with a 72-page manual. “The BP Patio Re-Training Manual,” created in collaboration with agency John St., includes tips on dealing with wasps, getting appropriately dressed and placing basic food and beverage orders for those that have forgotten how to behave outside of their own homes. Bold red text and illustrations by artist Cam Miller make the sometimes informative, mostly quirky, dos and don’ts more engrossing than the typical maintenance textbook. The manual is available for free online or hardbound for select winners of Boston Pizza Canada’s Instagram contest running from now until July 5. Entrants need only like Boston Pizza Canada’s post, follow its account and tag their patio-dining pals (Canadian COVID protocol currently only allows three diners per outdoor table, but will greenlight up to six per table on June 30). The manual is also accompanied by a video ad. The “training video” gives perplexed diners pointers on eating at Boston Pizza’s patio tables, which is “like an indoor table, outdoors.” The video explains that many of the items one might encounter at a restaurant, like a beer or sandwich, are just like beers or sandwiches consumed at home. At an outdoor dining patio, however, one wears “going out jeans.” In the end, the commercial assures that diners have all summer to practice. Still excerpts from the manual will also run on Boston Pizza Canada’s social media, on posters in its restaurants and in print ads. Boston Pizza is known for its out-of-the-box marketing ideas, which have included hilarious in-the-box ideas such as mini patio chair partners for the pizza saver and a carol-singing pizza box for the holidays.

Boston Pizza releases patio dining etiquette manual for those emerging from lockdown

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