One of the odder effects of the pandemic has been to level the playing field for modest restaurants. When everybody is serving outdoors on improvised patios, the view of the beach, street-life, or in some cases a brick wall is the same as their neighbors’.

People who wouldn’t have given some places a second glance now make their dining decision based on what they see on the plates coming out to the cafe tables. It must be daunting for those who remodeled their interiors in January, but it’s a win for others.