2017.11.12 The Guardian
Paris has opened its
first nude-dining restaurant, called O’Naturel. Customers eat in the buff, leaving their clothes in a cloakroom, and they can’t be gawped at from the street.
It makes sense for a country such as France (with its naturist beaches) to have a nude restaurant – a naturist group were the first customers. However, as a former waitress, my first thought is, what about the staff? London’s nude restaurant, The Bunyadi, currently fundraising to stay open for another year, featured
topless staff in flesh-coloured briefs, strewn with leaves, which made them resemble Tight Fit’s The Lion Sleeps Tonight video, but at least it was some sort of protection from serving hazards.
Grappling with piping hot dishes and sharp menu corners isn’t much fun when you’re clothed, but naked? Then there’s the issue of where to tuck your pen. Even topless is hazardous, especially for women. In my waiting days, I would have dreaded being singed by a cottage pie or even tickled by a club sandwich, while crepes suzette would have been out of the question. There is hope, I hear, that the hygiene police might come to the waiting staff’s rescue and ensure they are fully attired.
