This Bar Is Using Individual Bumper Tables to Enforce Social Distancing

People are willing to do just about anything to feel some sense of “normal” again. And that apparently includes wearing a giant inflatable “bumper table” just to get a cocktail at the local bar.

Fish Tales Bar & Grill, a popular bar in Ocean City, Maryland bought a few bumper-style tables to help their customers understand social distancing and just how far apart six-feet really is.

The individual tables are meant to look like vintage vinyl records. The patron stands in the middle, and can move about at will thanks to the table’s four wheels. But, if they get to close to another person, they’ll softly bump them, indicating that they’ve hit the six-foot social distancing limit.

"I mean, it's a novelty, it's cool. It's a great photo opportunity for them," Fish Tales Bar & Grill Shawn Harman told CNN. Harman noted, the tables will make it easier for the staff to enforce social distancing guidelines while patrons wait on a table.

"If you put the two tables together, you can't get within 6 feet of each other — and it's fun," Donna Harman, Shawn’s wife, added.

The tables are the brainchild of Event Revolution, an events company that has pivoted to creating coronavirus related products to help us all get out into the world again. According to Maryland’s NBC affiliate station WTHR, the tables can be rented for $150 each or can be purchased starting at $400.

As CNN reported, Maryland began opening portions of the state last Friday as the first part of its multi-phased reopening plan. As part of this initial stage retail businesses, manufacturers, houses of worship, and personal service businesses are allowed to operate with limited capacity. These businesses must also put in place and follow health and safety guidelines, making these silly-looking bumper tables all the more practical. And frankly, way more fun.