The Effect of Covid-19 On The Restaurant Industry
The restaurant industry has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus. Since mandatory closures began across the country about a month ago, restaurants have had to get creative with ways to stay in business.
Many have turned into delivery and take-out only, including those restaurants where scoring a reservation on a normal day is like winning the lottery. While lots of people have been supporting and ordering from local restaurants, others question if delivery and take-out is a safe option.
The Food and Drug Administration advises that "there is no evidence to suggest that food produced in the United States can transmit COVID-19." But that doesn’t mean you should treat your delivery and take-out as you normally would. It is still extremely important to take precautions when handling this food, like:
Order hot foods and reheat them in the oven or microwave
Opt for contactless delivery, and tip through the app you used to order or leave cash outside for the driver before they arrive
Take everything out of its container, and don’t set the containers down - toss them right in the trash (if you can, don’t even bring any bags or packaging inside!)
Use gloves when touching the containers, and wash your hands with soap and hot water for 20 seconds immediately after handling
Aside from delivery and take-out, some restaurants have started selling groceries. According to Courant, “restaurant distributors currently have a surplus of inventory due to the fact that restaurants are only operating on a 1-2% scale of what makes up their typical revenue (takeout service)... “Restaurants also have deep supply chains with product readily available.” Take Ruby Tuesday for example, which launched bulk online grocery service “Ruby’s Pantry” in Connecticut. Panera will follow suit, as CEO Niren Chuadhary plans to launch “Panera Grocery” in the coming weeks. In Los Angeles, residents can skip the grocery store and order produce boxes from local restaurants and farmers markets.
Even during these hard times, restaurants have medical personnel and frontline workers on their minds. They are donating and distributing meals. Thanks to influencers and others, GoFundMe pages have been set up to collect donations so essential workers can stay fed and fueled as they continue to fight this disease.
With the mandatory closures, unfortunately comes layoffs. Between 5 and 7 million US restaurant workers could lose their jobs by June because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. Not even the big hospitality groups can avoid it. “Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, which operates 18 restaurants in New York City, laid off nearly 80% of its staff in mid March "due to a near-complete elimination of revenue," according to a company statement.
The effect of the coronavirus on the restaurant industry didn’t start with restaurant closures. Between January and February, Chinese restaurants in the states reported steep declines in business, and some have closed since then. Soon after, dinner plans were being canceled, grocery app downloads skyrocketed, and the restaurant closures began.
If you want to support the industry and local restaurants, head to our Instagram to view our Take-Out/Delivery Instagram Highlight to see what restaurants you can order from.
Do you know of a restaurant staying open for takeout and delivery? Fill out this form to submit a restaurant name, Instagram handle, and location. We'll give a shoutout on social media and add to our highlight so our community knows they are still open for business. Multiple submissions are allowed and encouraged.