Coronavirus entered our worlds at the beginning of 2020 and day by day has implemented significant changes in our lives. As new countries started to feel the consequences of this pandemic, not only were people’s lives altered through needing to stay at home, but businesses were forced to close in order to prevent the spread of the virus. With the average American eating out five to six times a week, one of the biggest changes was going to be in the restaurant industry.
In saying this, restaurant delivery options have been available for some time now. UberEats started their delivery service in August 2014 and have been used consistently through these trying times, along with other food delivery services. In some countries, small restaurants were allowed to stay open but were only allowed to utilize takeaway or delivery options. This is where online food delivery services come into play. What’s so great about these services is drivers can perform no contact deliveries, meaning they can drop off your order and you can grab it without any contact whatsoever. Making it one of the safest ways to enjoy and indulge in your favorite meals and potentially help keep your favorite restaurants afloat too.
The burning question we seem to be asking right now is what is going to happen when restaurants are able to reopen. With over a month of staying indoors and people fearing Covid-19, are residents going to flock to nearby restaurants straight away? Social distancing seems to be something that will continue well into the future and this could especially be seen as a struggle in restaurants where tables are in close proximity. While moving tables around may be an option for some restaurants, in others, it could mean removing tables which would pose another revenue issue for small capacity restaurants; losing customers is not a realistic measure they can take.
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So, what does this mean for the future of restaurants? Are people going to be more used to staying home and ordering in? It is difficult to provide a solid answer, but it seems likely. As time passes and people become eager to venture out, you would think dining out would be everyone’s go-to. However, with job losses and fear of contamination, it may be a long time before people feel safe to enter the restaurant scene again.
At this point in time, spikes in online deliveries have gone up significantly and while some countries will allow smaller restaurants to open soon, this may not mean a reverse in that trend. People are using online delivery services much more frequently than before and could lead to this option becoming a regular part of their lifestyle.
The restaurant industry will continue to suffer from the coronavirus outbreak and there is an ever-growing possibility that a major shift could be observed of in-restaurant dining moving to online ordering.
