Last Updated on June 22, 2020 by Amanda Stancati
Forget nude resorts, the au natural experience is moving from beach to table, as diners are craving a side of liberation with their burger.
Clothing-optional restaurants are popping up in places like Berlin, Japan, and London, with the old mantra, no shoes, no shirt, no service being left behind with a pile of clothes.
Imagine changing into a robe before being seated at your table, surrounded by natural bamboo partitions and candlelight. If you choose the nude section (there is a clothed option), lay your robe down first to maintain hygiene. You’ll get to enjoy a five-course meal, either vegan or non-vegan, with edible cutlery. No phones allowed.
That’s what goes down at the pop-up restaurant Bunyadi, London’s first nude restaurant that opened in June. Kitchen staff are clothed and servers are partially clothed for hygienic reasons. With an interest list over 46,000 names long, there’s no questioning the demand for such an experience.
Bunyadi restaurateur Seb Lyall told the Washington Post in this article: “There is a whole business of victimizing people based on body image, but we are making a business out of correcting it.”
Bunyadi means “basic” in Hindi. The ethos of the restaurant extends beyond the dress code: the concept is designed around the idea of body positivity and a social dining experiment.
Next up on the naked dining train is Japan, with their restaurant, The Amrita (which means “immortality” in Sanskrit), opening in Tokyo at the end of the month.
You’ll have to cover up just a little bit with paper underwear as you enjoy the organic menu and male servers in g-strings. The restaurant does not welcome every body-type, though. You’ll have to be between the ages of 18 and 60 to enter, and “overweight” diners are not allowed. If you’re 33lbs over what you “should be” based on your height, you’ll be turned away without a refund on your ticket.
Tickets are purchased in advance: meal only tickets are approximately $130, but if you want to see the male-model show in addition to a meal, you could be forking up to $750 for admission. Phones are left at the door, and speaking to or touching other diners is prohibited.
People who visited Germany’s Black Cat Berlin earlier this month were greeted by a nude Playboy model. The restaurant gave away free meals for those who got naked, as part of its exotic Venus festival.
In Melbourne, two radio hosts asked if anyone would be interested in a pop-up nude restaurant, and the overwhelming response lead to a one-night only “The Noble Experiment” where 50 diners got to eat their pants off in May.
Body image insecurities get thrown out the window when you’re eating in your birthday suit. It seems like the trend is here to stay as it makes its way to liberal cities around the world.
The whole family can already dine nude at The Bare Bistro in Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park near Toronto, Ontario. It’s more of a nudist lifestyle resort than trendy restaurant. Diners must be members of the park though, and must follow the dress code: total nudity. At Vancouver’s Naked Sushi, sushi is served on a woman who becomes the living plate – but no touching or speaking to her is allowed. Unfortunately, guests are clothed.
Are more nude restaurant in Canada’s future? If you’re reading this and are skeptical, I’m almost certain there would be interest. If you drop your fork, just please don’t bend over to pick it up.
Thankfully, there’s even an etiquette for nude dining. Who knew?