Setting up a delivery service during the COVID-19 lockdown: a guide for restaurants

A survey by CGA on a group of 700 adults found that 53% are planning to use delivery during the lockdown. Also, 72% are going to continue using it after the emergency is over.

If your restaurant doesn’t offer home delivery yet, now is the time to start, whether you decide to work with a third-party app or to set it up on your own. Here you will find a quick guide on the different steps to take, and how to address customers’ concerns.

 

A different delivery model

According to CGA’s poll, the main concern of restaurant customers is safety: 21% of those surveyed said that the risk of coming in contact with others would be a reason not to order food for delivery, 12% don’t want to interact with delivery drivers, while 16% said that they would not order if they didn’t trust in the food preparation.

In fact, there is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 can be transmitted through food. The virus attacks airways and lungs, and would find a very inhospitable environment in the stomach. By contrast, a recent study showed that it can survive on plastic surfaces for up to 72 hours, which makes contamination through food packaging virtually possible. However, food safety authorities agree that the actual risk is very low, especially when everyone, from those producing the food to consumers, observe good hand hygiene practices.

Whether customers' fears are justified or not, restaurants will have to think outside the box to reassure them that their food is safe. The traditional ready-to-eat delivery model may not be the only way to do that. What we propose is a different model where food is cooked, chilled and packaged at the restaurant and then reheated at home. The additional reheating step eliminates any possible contamination and will give customers control over the safety of the dish they ordered.

For your restaurant operation, a ready-to-reheat model also means you can prep and cook in batches, optimise production and deliver more food more quickly.

Not every item on your menu will be a good candidate for delivery. You should choose dishes that can be chilled and then reheated at 82ºC – the minimum reheat temperature according to food safety guidelines - without compromising on taste and texture.

Examples of suitable foods are casseroles, pies and pastry items, slow roast proteins, rice, potatoes, roasted root vegetables and pasta. On the other hand, foods to avoid are fresh fruits and salads, bread and sushi.

Every item on the delivery menu should have its spec card, with the right portion size, exact ingredient quantity and cost per portion. Our recommendation is to offer a balanced mix of comfort food and healthy options. People will want to eat something different while confined at home but are also trying not to gain weight for lack of movement.

 

Packaging and labelling

Before kicking off your delivery operation, you will also have to decide what packaging to use and what information to give to customers.

Precooked food may require different packaging than ready-to-eat. The safest materials are those that can be put in the oven or the microwave right away, without additional transfers. For example, Vac-Pac or Sous-Vide vacuum bags for meats, zip bags, or tin / plastic containers for vegetables.

Labels are also very important not only for ingredients and allergens. Since reheating is a crucial step, they need to include specific instructions about oven temperature / microwave power and time (remember that food will have to reach 82ºC). Other information to provide to customers is how to store food properly and shelf life, in case it’s not consumed on the same day.

Labels should be printed out and applied on top of the packaging. Alternatively – especially if you’re pressed for time - you can put this information online and provide a link to the page.

 

A couple of examples

Let’s put it all together with a couple of examples of menu items combined with the right packaging.

 

Meat option

Slow Roast Pork Belly, Wild Mushroom and Button Onion Sauce

Dauphinois Potato & Honey Roast Carrot

Pork Belly slow cooked – cooled – sliced – covered in sauce – packaged in microwaveable container

Dauphinois Potato cooked – cooled – portioned – packaged in microwaveable container or tin

Carrots cooked – cooled – packaged in microwaveable container

 

Vegetarian option

Cauliflower, Chickpea and Lentil Balti

Pilau Rice and Saag aloo

Curry - slow cooked – cooled – packaged in microwaveable container

Potato cooked – cooled – portioned – packaged in microwaveable container or tin

Rice cooked – cooled – packaged in microwaveable container

Safety measures in the kitchen

The way you cook food for delivery will still follow HACCP rules about storing and temperature controls. The main difference will be in how you organise work in the kitchen in order to increase safety. The best references here are the procedures in place in major production outlets, especially those (such as hospital kitchens), where high-risk customers or high-risk patients are at the forefront.

Here are the most important ones:

 

• Create a workflow chart to ensure a linear progression during preparation. This will minimise the risk of ingredients crossing paths and make it easier for kitchen staff to maintain social distancing.
• Use physical barriers to segregate different steps.
• Provide kitchen staff with disposable aprons, gloves, hats and masks.
• Create clear safety rules and training for team members, for example, how to transfer food from one step to the next, maintaining social distancing at work, the disposal of protective gear, washing their hands, etc.

Safe delivery

Maintaining social distancing during delivery is another main concern, not only for customers but also for drivers. All major operators like Uber Eats and Deliveroo are now offering the option of contactless delivery, so if you choose to use a third-party app, you will have this part covered.

If you’re setting up your own operation, you can simply copy their best practices for a safe delivery:

 

• No cash: allow payments with credit cards only and chose a set-up which allows online payments with an option to add tips for drivers.
• Once at the delivery address, drivers will place the food on the floor, ring the bell or call the customers to inform them that the order has arrived, and step two meters back.
• As an additional safety measure, you can ask customers to leave a chair or a stool outside the door, to prevent packaging from touching the floor.
• If that's not feasible, the driver can place a piece of cardboard (or something similar) in front of the door, put the food on it, and remove it after the customer has picked up the order.
• Drivers will wash and sanitise their hands before each delivery

 

Another useful resource is a guide recently published by the Association of Convenience Stores, with best practices for home delivery.

Times of crisis like this are also an opportunity to give back. When looking for couriers, consider hiring local taxi drivers, who are struggling during the lockdown.

Advertising

During lockdown, customers are likely assuming that your restaurant is closed, so if you are open for business, make sure you advertise through your usual channels.

Remember that being transparent will pay off more than ever during the emergency. Let customers know all the safety measures you are taking and why your delivery model is better. Take pictures of your reorganised kitchen and of your team dressed in their disposable gear and show them on social media.

A viable model not just during the emergency

Going back to normality after the emergency will be a slow and gradual process. Restaurants will likely be among the last businesses to reopen, probably with limited capacity due to social distancing rules. On top of that, no one really knows what the post-pandemic normality will be like. Even with all restrictions removed, will people go back to restaurants as before, or will they still prefer to order food at home?

With all of these uncertainties, food delivery is not only the best way for restaurants to adapt and stay afloat during the pandemic crisis, but it can also become a sustainable model for whatever’s next.