Table for One: Sweden’s Toughest Restaurant Reservation Is a Table in the Middle of a Meadow

Many restaurants have been forced to reassess how they do business in the era of COVID-19, but a new dining experience from a couple in Sweden removes the restaurant from the equation altogether. Instead of a bustling building, Bord för En is a single table in an empty field, and instead of servers, meals are delivered via a picnic basket on a string.

The unconventional restaurant, whose name translates to "Table for One," is run by husband-and-wife team Rasmus Persson and Linda Karlsson, Atlas Obscura reports. Beginning with its grand opening on May 10, Bord för En will welcome one guest per day for their choice of breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The dining room is a one-person table set up in the couple's yard. Persson is a trained chef, and the initial menu he conceived consists of three vegetarian courses: a Swedish-style hash brown for the appetizer; sweet corn croquettes and serpent root ash for the entrée; and a blueberry, iced buttermilk, and beet sugar concoction for dessert. Joel Söderbäck, Persson's childhood friend and the owner of several bars, came up with non-alcoholic drinks to pair with each course. Dishes are prepared in one of the home's two kitchens and served contact-free using a rig made from a rope and a bicycle wheel.

Such exclusive service normally comes at a high price point, but the food at Bord för En isn't listed at a fixed price. Guests will instead be asked to pay whatever they can afford. Serving one person per day likely won't be lucrative for the couple, and Persson and Karlsson aren't opening the restaurant as a way to make money. They came up with the idea after serving Karlsson’s parents a meal safely through their window. After seeing how much their guests enjoyed being waited on in solitude, they wondered if there were a way to share the experience with other people craving connection and hospitality in a safe environment.

The couple plans to run Bord för En through August, with the menu occasionally changing to match what's in season. Anyone in the Värmland, Sweden, area can request a reservation through the restaurant's website.