Zero-contact delivery takes off

As the quarantine period sets in, restaurants are either shutting down for a few days or only accepting online orders

Many restaurants in the city are voluntarily closing down for a few days during the Covid-19 scare, in an effort to avoid crowding and maintain minimum contact. However, it isn’t easy for the hospitality industry to completely shut down as many people rely on them daily. With more companies offering work-from-home options, those who do not have the means of cooking on their own turn to restaurants around the city.

Many small restaurants such as Darshini and Adyar Anand Bhavan are still operational but the crowds have reduced significantly. Most of them are opting for takeaways instead of dining there. When Metrolife spoke to a customer at Murugan Cafe in CV Raman Nagar, he was in a hurry to get his order and leave.

“It’s not that I want to eat out at this time but our PG’s cook has been told to go home and we don’t have any other means of eating,” he said.

Since the cafe had been a regular spot for him, he decided to buy from here. “This is place is cheap. With the economy suffering, we need to save as much as money as we can,” the customer added.

A few others have closed their restaurants till Monday, and some have kept the option of takeaway and online delivery available.

Online delivery or takeaway only

Vinesh Johny of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts says, “Our last fully-functional day was on Sunday. We understand that people need food to eat, so we’ve
kept it open only for takeaway and online delivery. We’ve also reduced the number of staff; there are only two or three people per shift. We prefer card payments but in case
the customer is paying us by cash, we ensure that our staff is wearing gloves and keeping themselves sanitised.”

Marzipan Cafe and Bakery in Halasuru have decided to reopen only on Monday. Kiki Petriti Prabhu, owner of the cafe, says, “We’ll check again on Monday to see if we’ll work
with online orders or open the dine-in. We have given paid leave to all the staff that stay far away and commute using public transport. The situation is very difficult and we’ll do everything to protect our patrons and staff.”

Community gathering platform Conosh have also cancelled all their weekend meets. However, the home chefs are offering food via delivery apps. They are even allowing customers from near-by locations to pick up the order.

Neha Malik, co-founder, says, “We have a menu of different cuisines. We offer anything from starters and chicken curry to biryani and everyday meals.”

Zero-contact delivery

Food delivery app Swiggy have instructed their staff to follow a zero-contact mode of delivery until situation changes.

As per the guidelines, the delivery executives are asked to leave the order
at the doorsteps of the customer.

“In case the customer is feeling unwell or prefers to have minimum contact, the delivery person will just leave your order at your doorstep. However, this only works for pre-ordered items,” a spokesperson of Swiggy told Metrolife.

Recently, Dominos and McDonalds’ too announced their zero-contact initiative to curb the spread of the infection.

Run by Jubliant FoodWorks, Domino’s has enforced contactless delivery in all their 1,325 outlets across the country.

“In these difficult times, we have put in place even more stringent hygiene and sanitation protocols in our stores and for delivery. All our staff have gone through a health checkup.
Customers can place an online order and pay digitally. We will then deliver the pizzas to them without any physical contact,” says Pratik Pota, CEO of Jubilant FoodWorks.

To avail the contactless delivery service, customers need to use the latest version of the Domino’s app and select ‘Zero Contact Delivery’ while placing an order. According to
Domino’s, the ‘Safe Delivery Expert’ will place it in front of the customer’s door in a carry bag before moving to a safe distance. The delivery executive will then wait to ensure that it has been collected.

A spokesperson of Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in western and southern India, says, “McDonald’s India is ensuring that food reaches customers without being touched by bare hands and delivered safely with adequate social distancing measures.”

“The packets that are used for delivery are sanitised before hand-off, and we make sure that the runner sanitises their hands before handing over the package,” the spokesperson added.

In addition, according to McDonald’s, all customer touchpoints such as self-ordering kiosk screens, door handles, and handrails are sanitised regularly.

(With inputs from Prafula Grace Busi)