By Liz MacKenzie
Restaurant service just got more complicated during the COVID-19 restaurant shutdown. Many local restaurants have closed, some posting heartfelt notes on their windows and on social media citing concerns for their staff and customers. Benny’s Bistro is taking advantage of the closure to renovate the companion bakery, the French Baker before Easter. The Heart and Crown gang are promising the best St. Paddy’s Day party “sometime in the future” and Food Mood has announced they are taking their first long “staycation” in two years.
The streets are empty, offices are deserted and people are working from home. Students have all gone home. This is the new reality and it is devastating for restaurants. They have relied on students and workers for breakfasts, lunches, takeouts and after-work drinks. If you’re working at home and missing your favourite burger or pita or pizza or shawarma or charcuterie board or gourmet feast, worry not – it’s still available. It will be one of your best mood changers, so order soon and order often. There is no better way to ensure that these restaurants will still be there when you are back to your old routines.
Lucky for us, some of Ottawa’s favourites in the ByWard market and Lowertown are carrying on, offering everything from fabulous cakes and fine dining fare to comfort food like pizza, burgers, poutine and shawarma. They’re enhancing cleaning and disinfecting, requesting that customers do not use cash and routinely wiping down cash machines and door handles. You will be encouraged to pay on-line when ordering and you can request contactless payment for pickup and delivery. Some restaurants will provide a table outside the store for “curbside pickup” so you don’t have to enter the store. The King Eddie on Clarence has two takeout windows where you can pick up your order contact free. The Lone Star is limiting customers to five awaiting in-store takeout. Others like Pili Pili, Mr Osmow’s, Shawarma Palace, Kebab House have delivery only, while Ahora is offering takeout only.
As we dig deeper into our weeks of distancing, quarantine and illness, food may become one of greatest challenges and one of the most necessary comforts. We urgently need to support the restaurants that are meeting the challenges to keep their businesses afloat and to feed the city. In the event of a shutdown of delivery service, it might be wise to order a few extra dishes to freeze as backup.
Many restaurants have changed opening hours, and they may continue to make changes, so it’s best to check ahead. And be patient with delivery times. Establishments are working with skeleton staffs and delivery companies are busy. The big delivery companies are most popular; however Das Lokal is using a new local delivery service called Love Local Delivery. Watch for discounts offered by some restaurants and delivery services. Sur Lie and Das Lokal have developed special menus for takeout and if you need a fabulous cake to celebrate a special event, to fuel your binge watching or just to lift your spirits, Oh So Good will make it happen, and provide their coffee to brew as well. Luxe Café is providing a takeout menu for pickup or delivery, as well as private, no-contact pick-up or delivery of staples to help keep your pantry stocked. The details are on their website.
Restauranteurs and cooks love food and they love to feed people. They continue to offer great food even if we can’t enjoy their hospitality. We need each other: their business needs our support and we really need their food.
Uber eats, Door Dash, Skip the Dishes, Foodora and Ottawa Menu are very much on the front line and they have had to adapt to the cashless economy, tighter deadlines, enhanced sanitation and the new contactless or air gap delivery. Contactless or air gap delivery you ask?? This is how it works.
When ordering, you can specify a pickup spot for the driver to leave your order (e.g. porch, front door, lobby). The driver will follow your instructions, then wait at a two-metre distance until you pick up your parcel. It adds a bit of extra time and stress to the delivery, so be sure to give your driver a little love and a generous tip.
In these COVID-19 times, making food-access choices is a very personal decision, and research will provide differing opinions about safety. However, Ottawa Public Health has not closed delivery services and has provided enhanced hygiene protocols for restaurants. A website review of some local restaurants and delivery companies gives considerable comfort that they are serious about your safety and the safety of their employees.
SO: Go Home, Stay Home and Order Out. _