Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Food delivery services are taking extra precautions to remain up and running during outbreak.
Meals left at doors help reduce human contact
Amid the coronavirus outbreak and social-distancing demands, food delivery services are taking extra precautions to remain up and running.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say person-toperson contact is the main concern in the spread of the virus, and there’s no evidence it can be transmitted through food. So existing delivery services are trying offer an alternative to crowded grocery stores or pick-up at restaurants.
Many delivery apps — such as Uber Eats, Postmates, Delivery Dudes, GrubHub and DoorDash — are advertising no-contact delivery, where meals can be left at the door instead of being handed to a customer.
Delray Beach-based Delivery Dudes is taking its health and safety measures a step further by conducting healthcare professionalled training sessions at its driver hubs, where drivers check in for shifts. Delivery Dudes’ teams are being taught how to conduct temperature checks with a laser thermometer and the company is screen drivers for wellness before shifts.
Delivery Dudes, which serves customers in more than 70 cities in Florida, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, has also launched an initiative to help local residents who need groceries, prescriptions and other supplies for a flat $5 fee. Called Dudes Bodega, it is available in East Delray Beach and the company hopes to expand to other cities where it already operates in coming weeks.
Postmates launched a relief fund to aid drivers in covering cost of co-pays, medical expenses and sick leave related to COVID-19. Postmates also announced reduced delivery fees, often during peak lunch hours to assist those working from home during the pandemic, and it is supporting restaurants and small businesses with an emergency waiver on fees for those hit by a reduction in foot traffic.
DoorDash has distributed gloves and hand sanitizer to delivery workers in highly affected areas and is providing financial assistance to eligible delivery workers who are diagnosed with
COVID-19 or quarantined.
Uber Eats users were already able to leave a note for their delivery person with such instructions as “leave in lobby” or “leave at door,” but now there’s an additional feature at checkout to facilitate that communication.
“In response to the ongoing spread of coronavirus, we’ve reminded Uber Eats users that they can have deliveries left on their doorstep by selecting ‘leave at door’ at checkout,” an Uber spokesperson said. “We hope this will be helpful to everyone on the platform.”
A GrubHub spokesperson said the company is deferring its own revenue from local businesses for the time being.
“We know these are tough times for independent restaurants because people are not eating out. Our mission here is to help keep their doors open through delivery and takeout,” a GrubHub spokesperson said in a statement. “We are also working closely with government officials to ensure that kitchens stay open for pickup and delivery even when dine-in capacity must be shut down. We’re doing everything possible to organize community support through orders and donations to keep these independent businesses solvent through the current crisis.”