How to Get Takeout Safely During Coronavirus

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methods

1 Ordering Your Meal

2 Handling Your Food Safely

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Tips and Warnings

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Co-authored by Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: May 14, 2020 References

While social distancing has many restaurants temporarily shutting their doors, a number of others have switched to offering take-out and delivery options for their customers. According to the CDC, the risk of picking up coronavirus from food or food packaging is very low. As long as you take a few steps to keep yourself safe, it's fine to enjoy the break from cooking and enjoy your takeout at home!

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Ordering Your Meal

1. 
   1
   Choose a restaurant that's serious about worker and food safety. Before you decide to order from a restaurant, check out their social media or business website for information about whether they're taking appropriate steps to keep their employees and customers safe. For instance, you might look for shortened hours, which may indicate the staff is spending extra time sanitizing the restaurant. You might also look for posts that indicate the management is making sure no one comes to work sick, or promotional materials that advertise no-contact transactions.

   • For instance, some restaurants are scanning each employee to make sure they don't have a fever before the start of their shift. Something like that really indicates that the owners of the business are taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously.
   • It's also a good idea to check out the restaurant's history with the health department in your area. If they have a history of improper food handling procedures, they may not be taking the steps necessary to keep you safe from COVID-19, so it is best to avoid those restaurants.
   • Don't be afraid to ask what they're doing to keep you safe!
2. 
   2
   Support a local restaurant if it's possible. During the coronavirus outbreak, a lot of businesses are suffering from reduced traffic. One way you can help is to order food from small businesses in your area that are still trying to operate during this time.

   • Even just a few orders a day could help ensure your favorite take-out spot is ready to return to full service once the coronavirus threat has passed.
3. 
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   Order your food online or over the phone. To help minimize the amount of time you'll need to spend in the restaurant, check whether there's an option to place your order online. If there's not, or if you have any special instructions about your food, call ahead to order your food.

   • Consider asking how long the wait will be so you'll know about what time you should arrive to pick up your food.

   Tip: During the coronavirus outbreak, many restaurants are offering free or discounted delivery in addition to take-out or curbside pick-up, so don't forget to ask about all of your options!
4. 
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   Tell the staff you'd like a no-contact transaction. When you order your food, let the person taking your order know that you'd prefer to avoid any hand-to-hand interactions, if it's possible. For instance, you might let them know that you'd like your food to be placed on the counter rather than handed directly to you.

   • Some restaurants may have a no-contact option available on their website if you're ordering online.
   • Consider requesting that they leave out any plastic utensils, napkins, or single-serving condiments. Just use your own instead. You don't want to risk picking up any harmful germs.
5. 
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   Have your food delivered if you're sick. If you're feeling unwell or if you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, you should stay at home. Either order your food for delivery or, if that's not an option, place a take-out order and ask a loved one to pick it up for you. Then, to maintain proper social distancing, ask that the person leave your food on the doorstep, and don't open the door to get the food until the person has moved at least 6 ft (1.8 m) away.

   • If you go to the restaurant yourself, you could transmit the virus to a food worker, who could then pass it on to others unknowingly.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Handling Your Food Safely

1. 
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   Avoid using shared pens or touchpads when paying for your food. One potential point of contact when you're picking up a take-out order is when it's time to pay. If you're able, try making your order online so you won't have to use a credit card reader or a touchpad. If you'll need to sign a receipt, bring your own pen so you won't have to handle the same one everyone else has used.

   • Ask the restaurant if they can take your credit card information when you order. You could also ask them about any contactless forms of payment they might accept, such as paying through their website or using Google Pay, Apple Pay, or PayPal.
   • If you're paying with cash, consider giving exact change, or let the restaurant keep the change as a tip.
   • If you do have to use a shared pen or a touchpad for your debit card, sanitize your hands immediately afterward.
2. 2
   Maintain social distancing when you pick up your order. If it's possible, ask the person who brings you your food to place it on the counter, table, or even the ground rather than handing it to you directly. Then, wait for them to take several steps back before you take your food. That can help minimize any contact between you and the food server, lessening your chances of picking up germs.

   • If the person is delivering your food through curbside pickup, you might open the back door of your car, then ask them to place the food on the seat or floorboard. That way, they won't have to hand the food directly to you, but they also won't be placing your meal on the ground.
3. 
   3
   Don't touch your face once you leave the restaurant. Even though it can be very hard, do your best to get out of the habit of touching your face. Be especially mindful about it after handling anything that might have been touched by someone else.

   • Even if you do get coronavirus germs on your hands, you're unlikely to be infected as long as you don't touch your mouth, nose, or eyes.
   • If you're having your food delivered, don't touch your face once you handle the packaging that your food came in.
4. 
   4
   Transfer the food to your own dishes when you get home. Once you get your food home, open the containers that it came in, and move the food to your own plates and bowls. That way, just in case there were any germs on the containers, you won't transfer them to your mouth while you're eating.

   • Also, it's probably a good idea to use your own napkins, utensils, and condiments until the outbreak is over, just to be safe.

   Tip: Remember, this is just an extra layer of safety precautions. If you're eating on the go, you're probably fine to use the to-go containers and disposable silverware that's provided, especially if the utensils were individually sealed.
5. 
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   Discard the external packaging from your food. After you take all of your food out of the containers, throw the packaging in the garbage can. You may even want to discard it in an external can for an extra layer of protection.

   • If you'd like, you can wear gloves for this process, as well.
6. 
   6
   Sanitize anything that you touch after you handled your food. Since there's a possibility that coronavirus germs could have gotten on your hands from the food packaging, use a sanitizing wipe or spray to clean anything that you touch after you touched the food. For instance, if you drove to the restaurant, you might need to sanitize your keys and steering wheel, or you might need to wipe down your phone if you touched it.

   • Even if your food was delivered, you may still need to sanitize your doorknobs and kitchen counters.
7. 
   7
   Wash your hands thoroughly before you eat. After you transfer the food to your own dishes and you discard the packaging, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water. Make sure to wash your palms, the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

   • If you don't have soap and water available, cleanse your hands with alcohol-based sanitizer instead.

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Tips

• Remember to tip your food service workers. They are having trouble, so they will greatly appreciate your tip.
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