New Techniques of Food Delivery During the Pandemic

            

 It's been seven months being at home. Gone are the days, when people used to go to hotels for eating. The escalating demand for online food delivery has facilitated the birth of delivery-only restaurants, also termed as virtual restaurants. Online food delivery business is taking shape in the market and changing the lifestyles of people. Right now, people need all the comfort they can get, and if that means eating a home-cooked meal or one from a local business.

 Is it safe to order food? 

A lot of people have this question because they order food. As people hunker down in their home to stay safe from coronavirus, they are relying more and more on food delivery. According to the organisation, there are currently no cases which have shown any evidence of a human being infected via the consumption of contaminated food. They went on to admit that coronavirus could possibly be spread through contact with a recently contaminated surface, perhaps a plate or table. Though it is possibly by touching a contaminated surface, then touching your mouth, nose and eyes. That's why food delivery services are taking precaution and practising new techniques.

 New Practices:

 Cloud kitchens — Commercial cooking facilities that have no physical dining space and cater only to deliver orders placed online. Cloud kitchens are better suited to the needs of socially distanced customers than traditional dine-in restaurants. They’re also able to minimize some costs, such as rent, and without wait staff require fewer people on the payroll.

 No Contact Delivery — When picking up food, opt for contactless. Many establishments are now offering this service as a way to protect their employees and customers. If using the drive-through window, follow the basic precautions recommended in a public space: Cover your face and wear gloves if possible, and keep the interaction brief. Wash or sanitize your hands as soon as possible. 

Temperature Tracker — Food delivery system is using a temperature tracker on its app to make the customers aware of the body temperature of all the stakeholders from the cook to the delivery boy. 

Hygiene and safety policy — Sanitization of warehouses, and food that needs refrigerating must be kept cool while being transported. This may need to be packed in an insulated box with a coolant gel or in a cool bag. Equally, food that needs to be kept hot should be packed in an insulated bag. It’s very important to store food properly to keep it safe. Storing food in sealed containers and at the correct temperature protects it from harmful bacteria, stops objects falling into it, avoids cross-contamination with other ingredients. And also avoid touching of food with bare hands. 

Payment Method — To minimise the chance of getting infected by the virus, end consumers clearly prefer more of the non-touch payment options such as ‘tap-on-phone’ and link-based payments on their smartphone. There are still some people who pay by cash, people are needed to be encouraged to give online payments.