Restaurants offer up video conference backgrounds

Here’s yet another example of the creativity and nimbleness of restaurant operators: Though their dining rooms are closed, a number of restaurant brands have created downloadable background images to be used during video conference calls that have become so common during the COVID-19 crisis.

It’s a way of keeping their concepts top of mind and of providing some levity during a challenging time.

Here are some of the virtual restaurant background offerings. You can almost hear the forks clinking on plates and the hum of customer chatter. (And here’s an hour of restaurant background noise to complete the dine-in experience.)

Dunkin’ plays up its iconic orange and pink color scheme with its 10 downloadable backgrounds. The playful images and iconography highlight the chain’s doughnuts and coffee drinks.

Casual-dining chain Applebee’s combines realistic and playful images in its eight conference call backgrounds. The assortment includes photos of a unit’s exterior and bar, as well as a heart-shaped design of boneless wings against a tropical background.

A&W Restaurants serve up some nostalgic comfort with eight downloadable conference call backdrops, which feature its dancing bear mascot, unit interior and exterior, and old-timey advertising.

Taco Bell, which has popularized its branded merchandise, stays on-brand with its vibrant and playful virtual backgrounds. The chain’s downloadable images have a graffiti-art flair. Users are encouraged to share their screenshots (and boost the brand’s visibility) under the hashtag #TacoBellBackdrops.

Casual-dining brand Denny’s shared several downloadable backgrounds on its Twitter feed recently, including a whimsical potato and egg seated at a booth inside one of the chain’s locations. “No, you didn’t ask for them. No, you don’t want them. But they’re here,” the chain said.

Chicago-based multiconcept operator Land and Sea Department put together its LSD Background Pack, featuring photos from some of its dining rooms and patios for customers longing for the dine-in experience. “If day 14 of video conferences and endless pajamas has you down, we’ve got some small consolation for you,” the company said on its website.