The Food Industry Amid COVID-19: How Restaurants and Delivery Services Are Communicating
By Sofia Martinez Novoa, Account Director
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced more and more changes across the globe, and the food industry has not gone unaffected. As of March 17, all restaurants in Massachusetts have been limited to takeout and delivery following the emergency order issued by Governor Baker. Here is how a few restaurants, food chains, and delivery services have communicated and taken initiatives during this time of crisis:
On March 13, Dig Inn released a statement with initiatives to be there for its community during this time of crisis. To address its consumers and its employees, these are some of the things that the farm-sourced restaurant chain promised:
- You buy a meal, we give a meal.
- For every meal bought, Dig Inn is donating a meal to local organizations in Boston, New York or Philly. During this time of need, Dig Inn is offering an incentive to not only help its business but to give back to its community with customer support.
- Recipes
- While it is still open and available through delivery apps, Dig Inn recognized that a lot of people would spend time cooking at home, “Many of you are eating at home, so we’ll be publishing our recipes and sharing cooking tips from our chefs.” So far, Dig Inn has shared recipes for jalapeno dressing, roasted sweet potatoes, and its famous mac and cheese. They can be found on Dig Inn’s Instagram page.
- Employee support
- While supporting its community and its consumers, Dig Inn stated support for its employees as well. According to the statement, Dig Inn employees will be offered paid sick leave with extra days for anyone that requires them.
Shan A Punjab Indian Restaurant Brookline
During this difficult time, a lot of people have faced financial hardships. The Brookline based Indian restaurant decided to give back to its community. On March 23, the restaurant posted a message on its Facebook page offering free food to those facing financial hardships. The restaurant offered free take-out food between the hours of 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
On March 16, the founder of Clover Food Lab, Ayr Muir, announced that the following day (March 17) would be Clover’s last day of operations for the foreseeable future. He also announced that Clover would only offer takeout and delivery options that day. Here is what he has done since:
- Food Boxes
- Clover Food Lab prepared boxes of their leftover ingredients and menu items, ready for people to purchase and store. The food items that were included in the boxes were freezable soup, pita and hummus, and fresh falafel batter.
- In Ayr’s Kitchen
- With the temporary closing of Clover and of other restaurants in town, Ayr is offering an online cooking class series, “In Ayr’s Kitchen.” The series offers simple recipes with common home ingredients. The cooking series first aired on March 23 and will continue on weekdays at 3 pm EST. So far, Ayr has video tutorials on how to make brownies, popovers, Boston baked beans, and more. Tune in for new and delicious recipes here.
As many delivery services, UberEats has made several efforts to support its community through this pandemic. On March 18, UberEats announced its changes to support local restaurants, customers, employees, and healthcare workers during this time. Here are the key points:
- Free delivery on orders from local restaurants in the US and Canada
- UberEats is offering free delivery on any orders from local restaurants in order to incentivize support for the community.
- No contact delivery
- As an effort to minimize physical contact and the spread of COVID-19, UberEats is offering no contact delivery, in which the food ordered is delivered at the door.
- Paid Leave
- For its employees, the delivery company is offering two weeks of paid sick leave to those that have been affected by COVID-19, and to those who have been mandated to quarantine.
- Health care workers support
- Apart from being committed to supporting its employees, customers, and partner restaurants, UberEats is showing its gratitude and support to health care workers and first responders. UberEats is offering free meals to health care workers and to first responders around the globe.