NPR article on food takeout safety

[Robin Garr]

They say it's safe, but a lot of people on FB say they're not comfortable and you can't be too careful. I know a lot of us are grabbing curbside takeout and feel it's important to support the local restaurant industry in this troubled time. What do you think?

How Safe Is It To Eat Takeout?
Luckily for lazy cooks, eating food prepared in restaurants appears to be a safe choice. Current guidance from the Food and Drug Administration states that ‘there is no evidence to suggest that food produced in the United States can transmit COVID-19’.
Full report:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-sho ... tAXbIqmbXQ

We saw that article also and it helped us feel safer doing curbside delivery food from restaurants. I think a lot of people are doing that in an effort to support the restaurants they like as well as give them a sense of normalcy.

I know we probably have eaten out as much as we normally do at most of the restaurants we normally do (or at least the ones that are still open). The only exception is brunch/breakfast because at least in our opinion so if items do not travel and need to be consumed hot and fresh.

I actually had a conversation with a restaurant owner yesterday and at least their case sales of food hadn't dropped as much as I had anticipated which obviously is a good thing. Unfortunately, bar sales which is a huge source of profit for them has dropped to almost nothing even though take out of it is legal.

As one of the few still lucky enough to be operating during this crisis, I can promise you, every restaurant owner and worker is taking this whole thing deadly seriously. Hands are being washed, gloves are being worn and changed, and surfaces are being sanitized like never before. With no dine-in and reduced volume, we have plenty of time to make sure every corner is clean and safe. Food is being handled and packed with extreme care and caution. We simply cannot afford a single mistake during this time. One cold entree, one undercooked chicken breast is the difference between life and death for pretty much every small business. We are fighting for our lives and our livelihoods and the severity of all of this stares us in the face every single day as we have to tell our staff that we have no idea when they can return to full service and we tell our distributors that we only need about half of our regular deliveries.

We are holding on as long as we can and we are scared and we are worried for ourselves and our employees. We are also extremely concerned about the safety of our guests. We are doing everything we can to make sure we get this right and safe each and every time. So please, support our efforts as much as you can. It means more now than ever.

[Robin Garr]

Thanks for the inside view from the kitchen, Ronnie. It's important for us on the consumer side to hear that.