As we approach the two-week period of the shutdown in which all Massachusetts restaurants can only allow takeout/delivery options due to the coronavirus outbreak, questions remain about the safety of doing such options. While some have decided to not order from restaurants at all--instead cooking at home and/or getting delivery from grocery stores (the latter of which poses its own risks)--there are some best practices that people can take to lower any risk of contracting the virus, including deciding on which option might be the safest.
A few options that may potentially be the safest include walkup/window takeout, curbside pickup, and drive-thru, in part because human interaction is generally pretty limited in each case. A few things to keep in mind, however, include trying not to touch any surface (window, counter, outside walls) for walkup/window takeout and definitely keeping interaction to a minimum with all three. In addition, it may be best to use credit/debit cards or other forms of non-cash payment for any of these options rather than using bills and coins, which have likely been touched by countless people.
Another relatively safe option is delivery, which is a bit like curbside pickup but rather than going to the establishment to get your food without actually going into the restaurant, delivery is brought to your home. This potentially poses an additional problem that curbside pickup might not have in which you don't really know the exact path of the order from the restaurant to your residence. The issue does apply to curbside pickup on a much smaller scale, but with delivery there is the increased potential of the unknown which really makes it best to do non-cash payments (like with curbside) and perhaps have no interaction at all, paying in advance online or by phone and then having the delivery person simply leave the food out front. (Just make sure you included a tip if you pay in advance--and really, you should be tipping for any of these options right now including takeout and curbside.)
The takeout option, and more specifically, going into a dining spot to pick up your food, might be the riskiest option, so much so that some places such as Arlington and Revere Beach no longer allow patrons to even enter an establishment anymore. One of the problems with this option is the potential for social distancing issues, especially if it's a small place or if it's crowded, plus there is an increased possibility that you might touch something in the restaurant (a counter, chair, wall, table, etc.) that could have the virus on it. If you decide on this option, be extremely careful with the transaction from start to finish.
As indicated above, all of these options do pose a risk, so there's definitely nothing wrong with opting for cooking and grocery store shopping instead, though those pose risks as well; with both, it is probably best to toss any bags and packages if possible and use your own containers for the food, and with the latter, social distancing is critical, so it might be a good idea to hit a market just before it closes for the night because the crowds will probably be gone by then. And as far as the food itself? It appears that getting the virus from food is very unlikely, but if you're worried about this, opting for hot foods from restaurants and grocery stores (and maybe throwing the food in the microwave for a short time to reheat) and/or canned food and frozen foods from markets may give you at least some peace of mind.
Finally, to use one of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's lines, it's not about you; for any of the restaurant options above, the workers get put at risk whenever there's any kind of interaction, from ordering to picking up food to paying in person to even talking to the staff. Restaurant workers--and grocery store workers as well--face some serious risks every single day right now, so try your best to keep all interaction to a minimum and try to stay at least 6 feet away from everyone for everyone's sake, at least until the shutdown is rescinded (and even then, it's probably best to continue doing this, since the virus will still be out there).
For now, the restaurant shutdown ends on April 6, but it is likely that this date won't hold, so stay tuned for more updates, including Governor Baker's daily press conferences.
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
