How Contactless Food Delivery Is Impacting the Food Industry

As the coronavirus outbreak is spreading across the world, many restaurants are moving to contactless delivery to shield their customers as well as the employees from the transmission of the virus by human interactions.

Quarantine, lockdown, PPE, along with contactless delivery is some of the new terms that we have come to know because of the COVID-19 situation. With global cases beyond 2 million, proactive and robust methods are required for businesses to thrive in the post-lockdown phase. 

With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants can no longer function as they usually do. Restaurants are prohibited from offering dining services. Online delivery is perhaps the only way to ensure continuity of business during a pandemic and assure a contactless food delivery. However, the operation must be carried out safely and hygienically.  

What is the contactless delivery of food?

Due to the current pandemic scenario, the food industry, including restaurants, has had to change their conventional methods of operations. As the government has made social distancing compulsory, restaurants and cafes also need to comply with these changes. Food aggregators and restaurants have now adopted a new method to deliver food safely and securely. It's called contactless delivery system. To protect end consumers and delivery executives; the food industry has initiated the feature of contactless delivery, which will help to reduce the spread of the virus by incorporating social distancing within the delivery mechanism itself.

Customers can place an order, make their payments online and get food delivered without any contact with the delivery agent. RailMitra, RailRestro, Swiggy, Zomato, and Big Basket are some examples of food delivery apps that are employing contactless delivery to provide safe service. 

How restaurants should run their business during the Coronavirus pandemic

People are being quarantined in their homes. They are trying to limit contact with outsiders as much as possible, for this is the best measure for prevention. Most customers are anxious and sceptical about ordering food and coming into contact with delivery personnel they don't know. After all, anybody might be a carrier of the coronavirus. Therefore, as a measure of safety, many restaurants have begun providing contactless food delivery. Restricting contact between restaurant executives and customers is a safe food delivery practice. 

Features of contactless food delivery

• In the case of contactless delivery, the customer and delivery personnel do not come face to face at any point in time. 
• Contactless food ordering is done online, and payment is also made online, not by cash on delivery or by swiping a card. 
• Food is placed outside the customer's house at a point where the customer instructs the delivery personnel to leave. 
• If the delivery operator has placed the food at that specific point, he takes a picture and sends it to the customer. 

By following these safety measures, any contact between the two parties involved is minimized to a large extent, and there is no risk of infection.

Safety practices by restaurants staff for contactless food delivery

Along with the online payment options, the sanitation procedures of restaurants need to be further improved by following these safety measures:

• Every surface on the restaurant needs to be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly. 
• The orders sent out should be packed and sealed adequately, ensuring there is no increased risk of infection. 
• The sanitization of every area of restaurants should be done frequently during the entire day. 
• Frequently touched objects need to be disinfected every half an hour or so. 
• Employees need to wash their hands frequently.
• Wearing masks and gloves is mandatory during the preparation of food.
• All delivery personnel entering the restaurant should sanitize their hands every time they enter. 
• Equip the delivery boy with high-quality masks as well as gloves that they must wear while out for delivery. 
• A temperature screening should be done at the entry of the restaurant for all employees. 
• If an employee shows any minor symptoms, they should stay at home and only return to work once they're fine. 

These procedures are essential to minimize the risk of coronavirus infection.

Safety practices by the delivery staff for contactless delivery of food

While restaurants are trying to provide the best possible service to their customers, they also need to focus on delivery boys' well-being by making them follow these safety measures:

• Delivery boys should be allowed to collect orders only after washing hands and sanitization.
• Use of 'Aarogya Setu' app should be mandatory for every delivery boy.
• Contactless delivery to ensure zero human contact.
• Wearing protective face masks and gloves should be mandatory.
• Sanitization of delivery bags should be done after each delivery.

Contactless payment: No Cash-On-Delivery

Cash payments increase the risk of infection that may be transmitted from an infected person through the coins and notes. Therefore, the cash on delivery option is prohibited for contactless food delivery. Payment should be made by integration options that support all modes of online payments - Google Pay, PhonePe, Net Banking, UPI, and so on. 

Restaurants are aggressively implementing contactless delivery across India

Food delivery apps in India, such as Swiggy and Zomato, now offer contactless delivery to their customers. The option to pick up a non-contact delivery is shown when the customer opens the request.

However, to ensure extra safety, heat or microwave your food at high temperatures before you consume it.

 The Indian Railways could also allow e-catering services to resume on the trains soon. Indian Railways recently opened its services with an initial 103 pairs of trains. Among these trains, there are nearly 37 pairs of trains running without pantry cars, which results in food unavailability for passengers on long-distance travel schedules.

Post confirmation from the Ministry of Railways, RailMitra, and RailRestro, an IRCTC-authorized food delivery app will be ready to deliver food on trains. They will ensure adhering to the safety measurement guidelines for hygienic food preparation and Zero–contact food delivery in train to ensure the delivery of healthy and safe food on trains.