By Thomas Lucy

During the middle of a pandemic, both people and economies have had to change. Due to the spread of coronavirus, daily life cannot continue as normal. This change has had a major effect on local businesses and restaurants within the Richmond area. How have they adapted, and how will this change the way business is done in the future?

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued Executive Order Fifty-Three, which states, “On March 13, 2020, I ordered all K-12 schools in the Commonwealth closed for two weeks. On March 17, 2020, I, along with the Virginia State Health Commissioner, issued an Order of the Governor and State Health Commissioner Declaration of Public Health Emergency (later amended) limiting the number of patrons in restaurants, fitness centers, and theaters to no more than 10 per establishment.” This news was devastating for local businesses and restaurants, as this order removes tremendous amounts of income and restricts customers. 

The restrictions on restaurants in Virginia are as follows: “All dining and congregation areas in the following establishments must close to the public, beginning at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. These establishments may continue to offer delivery and/or takeout services. Establishments include Restaurants; Dining establishments; Food courts; Farmers markets; Breweries; Microbreweries; Distilleries; Wineries; and Tasting rooms. Businesses in violation of this order may be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor.”

So what does this mean for restaurants?

Services like GrubHub, Doordash, UberEats, and Postmates have evolved into necessary parts of the food industry. With restrictions not allowing people to enter restaurants, the market for pickup and takeout orders has changed.

Since February, I have been driving for Doordash. It was something I picked up because by checking account was looking a little thin, and it is a job where you can choose your own hours. I started driving a few days per week after track practice for a few hours. I felt like I was being quite productive and continued to drive off and on until the present time.

When rumors of the coronavirus started, I was pretty sure that Doordashing was going to be too dangerous. But Doordash took initiative. They emailed all of the drivers and gave us access to gloves and hand sanitizer. To make sure that drivers and customers stay safe, Doordash issued No-Contact deliveries. This means that the drivers must wear gloves, and when the delivery is complete, the driver will leave the food at the door of the customer, so no contact between people is made.

In my experience, restaurants rarely require me to even go inside and make sure that I feel as safe as possible. I always wear gloves, sweatshirt, and a mask, because I want the least skin exposure possible, just to be cautious. While concerned about my safety, I am glad that I am able to help keep local restaurants open. Although my delivery role isn’t going to change the fate of the business, it helps keep the local economy active. And I am really proud to be a part of that.

Many Collegiate students shared their experience with how their families have been eating and getting food during quarantine. V Brooks (‘20) said, “My family got Amigos one night, but like normally we have been cooking a lot. We have been cooking in, but being stuck inside and not being able to go to the grocery store as often has made us become more creative with our cooking and baking.” 

John Ballowe (‘21) shared, “We try to get local take out at least once a week. We have gotten takeout from Portico, Alewife, Chianti’s, Shagbark, and Superstars. If we aren’t getting takeout, we usually cook and try to support local grocery stores like Yellow Umbrella and Libbie Market.” Donald Adams (‘20) said, “So right now, my mom cooks probably five days a week, and my dad cooks the other days, but we get takeout from some places close to my house. One that we have gone to a lot is Q Barbecue.” Vlastik Svab, Upper School English teacher and Match adviser, said, “My son Henry (‘29) wanted Angelo’s pizza in Midlothian for his birthday a few weeks ago, so we got delivery. It was fast and delicious!”

With COVID-19 changing the ways people can interact with each other, businesses have had to adapt to survive these tough times. Delivery and pickup services are evolving in the restaurant industry and will continue to play a role in the coming months.

Always remember to tip your drivers!

Featured image courtesy of Quora.com.