By Marketty Bleck
Countries have shut down entirely to contain the coronavirus. With people having to stay home, there was an uptick in grocery shopping. At first shelves were being cleared of fruits, veggies, canned items, and non-perishable items. Due to this, people are now cooking more and more at home in order to avoid bringing unnecessary germs into their homes. This is bringing more and more families together and allowing people to rest. However, there are still those of us that cannot cook due to lack of abilities, creativity, or time considering work and academic responsibilities. This is a reality that many restaurants have had to adapt to. The question is how? Shifting to a delivery culture has been the best option for them. Many restaurants are also getting creative with the type of offerings they have.
Food delivery has been a rising culture in our world with busier lifestyles, longer work and school days, and more and more people losing the art of cuisine. Within a few days, life completely shifted. Restaurants were forced to cut their hours or ultimately shut down, customers had to stay home and fend for themselves, and grocery store stock was cleared in a panic. The restaurant food industry had to think quickly. The biggest shift occurred with many places deciding to shift to delivery. Providing a simple and quick option for loyal customers to continue to patronize and also, allowed new customers to find them.
Here in Budapest, delivery services such Netpincer and Wolt, offer an easy way to find hundreds of restaurants. These restaurants offer a multitude of different food options such Thai, Fast Food, Hungarian, African, and many more. The restaurants on the platforms are able to share the variety of food options they have. Ordering is super simple, the hard part is choosing from the variety of yummy options they have available! Once you’ve ordered, the site lets you know when the restaurant has received, prepped, and completed your order, then again once your delivery driver has picked up and is on their way to your place. The only con I’ve found for food delivery is having to be patient and wait for my food to be delivered!
In addition to restaurants using food delivery to keep their doors open, a lot of restaurants are now offering Do It Yourself (DIY) cooking options. These places assemble all the ingredients you need for a delicious meal. They include vegetables, cuts of meats, pastas or rice, herbs, and many more. Some places offer written out recipe card or have YouTube videos to follow along with to complete the recipe. This is a great option for people who have no clue what or how to cook a meal and are searching for a simpler solution.
With restaurants starting to slowly open with the lift of the lockdown, most people are still taking extra precautions. The restaurant industry has had to adapt quickly and efficiently in order to be able to keep up with the shifting culture in light of the coronavirus pandemic. We cannot quite understand the full impact of this pandemic on the food industry until quarantine fully ends and restaurants begin to refill. As that occurs we will really be able to understand the impact of the virus on life as we know it. We just hope our favorites survive.
