Fast Food & Restaurants

[Dave in VA]

Have any of you had an opportunity to visit a drive thru or restaurant pickup? If so, how safe do you feel the experience was? We are both 67 years old and wife has Crohn's disease and meds cause her to be immune compromised.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Oh yea, fuck the orange hemorrhoid!

[lillypaddle]

1. I went through Taco Bell

The guy at the window was wearing gloves and a mask. He passed the food bag to me on a tray so there was no contact at all. Now what was happening during prep, I don't know. I probably shouldn't have done it, but I REALLY wanted a taco. My appetite will be the death of me!

[intrepidity]

7. Me too

Needed a Taco Bell fix.

Was paranoid as hell unwrapping the food, though.

And, fortunately, I had a stock of sauce packets (Fire, and Hot!) at home, so the new batch goes into quarantine, ready for use next time.

I hope it's not my undoing.

[lillypaddle]

12. Dude ...

(or Dudette) We're soulmates!

[Fla Dem]

2. I went to Longhorns last week. It was pretty much like their regular take out.

I was surprised they didn't come out to get your name. Was a called in the order. Had to go in , stand at the counter while waiting for order and then handed person my credit card. All the time there was no precautions on the part of the staff.

However I have heard most places don't allow contact with staff. Order on line or by phone. Staff comes out to get your name or order# thru open car window....social distance kept, then brings out your order leave on table for you to then get out of your car and pick up.

Really disappointed with Longhorns.

Q.Should you avoid takeout or delivery from restaurants?
“No,” Chapman says. “I actually see it as a very good alternative since, unlike grocery shopping, it greatly reduces the need to interact with other people.” Most restaurants have instituted contactless delivery or pickup practices that allow people to prepay for their food and receive it without coming close to another human. “The biggest risk factor for the disease is interacting closely with other people, and contactless delivery eliminates that,” Chapman says. To further reduce your risk, transfer your food to a plate when you get it, dispose of the containers, then wash your hands before you eat

https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/coronavirus-common-questions-about-the-food-you-eat-food-safety/

[happybird]

3. It will likely vary by location

I work at a small restaurant in NOVA and we are wearing masks and gloves, have installed a plexiglass barrier around the outdoor pickup counter, have 6’ intervals taped off on the sidewalk, and have tables set up for the paid-by-phone orders so folks can just grab their bag. We are serious about staying healthy. We have grocery items available, too (tp, fresh veggies, milk, etc)

Maybe call around and ask? We are very upfront about our protections and I think most businesses will be glad to explain what they have done to protect employees and customers.

Good Luck!

[dmr]

6. That's what we did. We wanted to know about their sick policies.

We check to see what they say on their website, and have called asking about their sick policy. There's the worry a sick employee might go into work because they can't afford a loss in pay.

It's nice to find restaurants that do support their employees; and knowing this, we've gone back and ordered again. Then we tell others about them, too.

When our meals arrive it's a comedy routine to carefully transfer the food onto our plates. The "clean" person transfers the food onto plates, while the "dirty" person handles the bags, cartons or wrappers.

I usually get the "clean" job because supposedly I'm super fussy. Then while the other cleans up, I'm usually nuking the food. It tends to cool down during this process. <sigh>

Delivery or pick-up is nice to do at least once a week. Every morning my neighbor who's my best friend and I sit over a cup of coffee (now on video chat) and complain about what to make for dinner. It's a huge pain in the ass. On Wednesday's we alternate and cook (we still complain about that, too!) for each other's families, then along with her daughter we relax and watch the Chicago shows on NBC.

[LisaL]

4. You can order from restaurants using on-line services and ask for no contact delivery.

They leave the food at your door in a bag. Then you can throw away containers and nuke the food as an extra precaution.

[dmr]

5. Try this website to find who's open, and their delivery options:

https://www.diningatadistance.com/

This is great! Even my town in northern Michigan is included. Yay!

[NightWatcher]

8. I've been Grubhub-ing and Doordash-ing it a few times.

The trick with "outside" food is to open the food, put it on the plate, throw away the wrapping, wash your hands, microwave the food for a few seconds, and enjoy.

We've had wings, pasta, burgers, and it's all been ok.

[LisaL]

9. Yep, I've done the same.

Food usually gets less hot during the delivery anyway, so microwaving it (I have been doing it for 90 seconds) only makes it better. Of course you have to order foods that can be microwaved (like, it wouldn't work with a salad).

[Generic Brad]

10. We went to a local family owned restaurant last night

We ordered ahead. When we arrived, signs instructed us to remain in our car and that they would come to us. A man came out wearing a mask and rubber gloves. I announced who I was and handed him my credit card. When he returned with it I had him drop it in a baggie I brought with me. When the food arrived tied up in a plastic bag, we rolled down the window and a waitress (who also donned a mask and gloves) handed the bag to my wife. She held it from the top, my wife grabbed it from the bottom and set it on the floor.

We felt we had minimal chances if any for exposure. Still we took added precautions with the bag and cleaning up when we returned home, but aren't we all these days? It was just nice to be able to support a local restaurant that we want to ensure remains in business by the time this is all over.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. Since I'm high risk, I assume the employees are contagious.

That's what the professionals have told us to do. My son and I have only picked up carry-out twice - pizza and tacos.

We remove all packaging right away, dispose of it and then wash our hands. My policy is to get only foods I can reheat at home to neutralize any virus. Just because food has been cooked does not mean that those handling it afterwards didn't contaminate it.

To me, one of the highest risks may be the condiments, both those in their bins at the restaurant and the little packets they place in the bag. Those little sealed packets can be washed gently in the sink, but I'll just use my own from the 'frig.

I'm 72 and rather be safe than sorry but I'm also trying to help my son not feel so isolated.