Restaurant Delivery is in Demand During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Nirav Shastri, Contributor

As nations enter the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no “guidebook” on how to navigate through this crisis. Because of that, we find ourselves in unprecedented situations and not knowing the best way to navigate the waters before us. We are, however, all in this together and together we shall find a way. With this positivity, let’s move forward and talk about the food delivery demand and how restaurants can ensure the safety of their food thereby their guests.

An Increase in Demand for Food Delivery

The demand for restaurant delivery has practically exploded during the crisis. And the reasons are obvious! As social distancing has deprived individuals of dine-in options, it doesn’t mean they want to go without their favorites restaurants. This means they have no option but to completely rely on food-delivery options.

But the rise in food delivery demand is not limited to cooked meals. As individuals find themselves in quarantine with strict hygiene measures in their mind, some of them may also want to prepare their meals from scratch. Keeping this in mind, you’ll have to rethink your strategies and deliver what your customers need. Many restaurants have started to offer grocery options and other basic food preparatory items to keep up with the need of the hour. It’s given customers what they need and providing a new revenue stream for struggling restaurants.

Now, with food delivery becoming the only plausible solution and way out, there’s extra pressure on you - the restaurant owners. You have the responsibility of not only feeding the customers but also feeding them safely. 

How Have Things Changed for Restaurant Delivery? 

Even before COVID-19, the expectations of cleanliness, hygiene, and safety of food from restaurants, food joints, and all kinds of eateries have been high. Given this fact, you already have hygiene standards in place to ensure that you put out only the highest quality of food. However, with COVID-19 crisis, restaurant customers have become more vigilant and discriminating than ever before. And rightly so; the virus that thrives off unhygienic behaviors needs to be curtailed in every manner possible. 

Customers expect restaurants to take extra precautions and safety measures. With all the anxiousness, they do not want to be anxious about the food they consume. And because they are dependent on you, it becomes your foremost duty to ensure food safety while its making and delivery. 

Something to Remember…

But relax, I am not here to make you even more stressed about the situation. I am rather here to make you aware of the huge part you play in individual lives and how you can continue to safely serve your customers. 

But before that, here’s something you’d want to know! 

You’re not just a fancy restaurant that individuals visit. During the COVID-19 crisis, you’ve morphed into someone who is there to feed their customers in times of need. The customers you attract and maintain during this time are most likely to become loyal to your business. It is thus of prime importance to adhere to all the safety guidelines and tips (below) to make sure you’re offering nothing but the best. 

10 Tips for Safe Food Delivery that Restaurants Must Keep in Mind

Long-lasting ingredients: Ensure that the ingredients you use are of the highest quality. When it comes to food safety, dine-in differs from food delivery in terms of the kinds of ingredients used. With dine-in, you can use all kinds of ingredients as the food is going to be consumed immediately. However, when it comes to delivery, you’ve to be more cautious and use long-lasting ingredients as you cannot afford spoilage of food. 

Narrow down your menu: Include only your topmost dishes in the menu. You do not have to focus on the range right now but the volume of a few dishes and the depth of their safety. This will ensure less burden on inventory management. 

Food packaging: Preparing the meal with sheer safety doesn’t mean that you can afford to compromise on its packaging. Quality of packaging can directly impact the safety of the food and thereby your customers’. Make sure you use quality packaging material such as biodegradable and thick materials that can contain the moisture of the food for long. Also, ensure that your delivery partner uses nice insulated bags to keep food fresh and warm. 

Run regular inspections: Being in food service, you’re well aware of the dangers of providing spoiled or bad food to your customers. And no restaurant can afford to ruin its image or harm its customers during a pandemic. Therefore, it is imperative to hire staff to perform quality checks. If not that, train your staff so they can handle the food with optimal safety in the kitchen. 

Essential restaurant kitchen accessories: Not to belabor the point, but you cannot afford to get lenient in terms of hygiene of your kitchen and staff. Ensure that the kitchen is sanitized at regular intervals. Also, practices like using gloves, hairnets, sanitizers etc., are more important than ever before. Place reminders in all the working areas of the restaurant so that your staff is extra careful of their hygiene.

Employee checkup: Check your employees for symptoms such as temperature, cold, etc., before they enter the restaurant premises. Only if they are perfectly fit, allow them to continue working. Provide them with PTO sick-time and let them know that it’s okay to rest at home. Sometimes being the hero means staying home for a few days.

Partner with the delivery partners: While aiming for safe food delivery, your job doesn’t end at preparing and packaging the food. Picking the right delivery partners is also as important. You need to ensure that your delivery partner handles the food with ultimate safety. Find out how they keep the food during the delivery process. And what is the maximum time they take to deliver?

Offer contactless delivery: As individuals continue to take social distancing seriously, make sure you do not disrupt the process. Offer contactless delivery, so that your guests receive their packaged food without having to come in contact with your staff or  delivery partners. This also includes prior payments for the process to run smoothly.

Reach out: You can follow all the precautions in the world but your customers can still remain anxious if you do not communicate effectively. Communicate to your customers that you’re taking all the precautions to ensure their safety. 

Make your customers aware: Once the food is delivered, your job is done. But just go that extra mile and make your customers aware of how to handle the food once they have it. Inform them to dispose of the packaging and wash their hands thoroughly. Also sanitize the area where the packaging was kept to ensure complete safety. 

Conclusion

Your restaurant’s guests need you more than ever before. By following these steps, you’ll not only ensure ethical food service and delivery but also create a brand image that will remain clear in the times to come. Take these tips with you in the post-COVID world and offer your customers nothing but the best. 

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About the Author:
Nirav Shastri is working as a Sr. Digital Marketing Strategist at Space-O Canada, the leading mobile app development company. He has 8+ years of experience in the Information Technology industry that inspires him to share his knowledge through articles. Nirav also works with a team of experienced creative digital strategists to generate unique and data-driven campaigns. He spends his time reading about new technology and trends.
Connect: Twitter and LinkedIn 

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