COVID-19 effect: Dining out or not? Delhi-NCR eating out places and restaurants are now open

Coming closer to home, several restaurants are opening in Delhi and Noida, with increased emphasis on contactless service, safety protocols, temperature checks and capping the number of guests.

COVID-19 impact: Fancy dining out or ordering a takeaway? Delhi’s much loved eating out places are now open! Foodies, check out which places you want to place your orders to enjoy your favourite restaurant meals! Noida too is not far behind when it comes to dining out spaces and eateries opening up for its residents.

A recent country wide LocalCircles survey shows that only 34 per cent Indians are open to eating out at restaurants and only 28 per cent stated that they had eaten out in the last 60 days by ordering food at home, as per IE report.

To eat out or not was never a dilemma for Indian families till COVID-19 struck. People’s choices have changed beyond recognition since the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that travel has been curtailed and there is unemployment across sectors, it looks as though many lifestyle choices such as eating out are curtailed as well.

Notably, a whopping 64 per cent stated that they have no plans to visit a restaurant nor order from home as per the survey.

COVID-19 effect: Wondering where to dine out in Delhi-NCR?
Coming closer to home, several restaurants are opening in Delhi and Noida, with increased emphasis on contactless service, safety protocols, temperature checks and capping the number of guests who are allowed to enter for dining at one time. Maintaining distance between guest tables is now a part of restaurant safety protocols.

In May 2020, Marriott International had come up with their ‘Marriott on Wheels’ delivery service. For this first-of-its-kind initiative for the Marriott, they teamed up with Swiggy to deliver across 20 hotels in cities across India. Based on their locations, each hotel came up with offers that showcased their signature dishes and a diverse spread of food offerings.

For those who miss The Grammar Room, the good news is that the deli has opened and stays open till 9 PM. On Instagram, their posts are lively and reassuring. One such post conveys that palm trees ensure that customers maintain social distancing, their staff is just ‘a hi away’ and they offer coffee, WiFi and playlist for customers. They accept online orders too.

For those with a sweet tooth, the good news is that the Big Chill Cafe has opened at Gurgaon’s Ardee Mall, DLF Place Saket and Promenade, Vasant Kunj. Takeaways are permitted too. They are actively posting quirky updates on Instagram. Theobroma too has opened up across all its outlets including malls such as Logix Mall Noida and Ardee Mall.

Not just the premium brands, but home grown brands are also coming out with unique initiatives to woo their customers.

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Burger Singh has opened with an innovative endeavor as part of its ‘Your Safety First’ campaign. To reassure its customers, the Indian homegrown burger brand allows its customers to have access to CCTV footage of the Burger King kitchens by visiting a specific URL and entering their Order ID. In addition, staff temperature checks, social distancing and regular screening of employees every ten days, and tracking their movements through an internal app is a part of the Burger Singh brand’s safety protocols. When food is delivered to customers, a sanitiser pouch is served along with details of the staff member who handles their order.

The Haven, a coffee shop in Noida which also functions as a working space for professionals, has reopened this weekend with notable changes to ensure the safety of its customers such as temperature checks on entry and closing off its small but main seating areas completely and converting its basement space to ensure that there is considerable space between the few tables placed around.

Only a few guests are admitted at one time and every table maintains a sanitizer bottle for the use of its guests. All food items that are served at each table comes with its own carefully packaged fork and paper napkin.

The billing counter itself has been cordoned off to maintain considerable distance between the staff and the guests, with one guest being allowed to enter the space at one time.

Can COVID-19 spread through food?
Is it safe to eat out? While there is no evidence to show that COVID-19 can spread through food, it seems that a majority of Indians are not keen to take a risk.

[READ: Your favorite hotels are ready to enable contactless measures!]

While the future prospects for small restaurants seem mixed, most restaurant owners appear to be hopeful that the situation will improve as they stick to safety guidelines and assure their customers of the same.