Posted Thursday 16th of April, 2020 at 3:22:24 PM by Jeff
COVID 19 is about to kill restaurants by the thousands. This pandemic is the ultimate pressure test and #restaurants are failing hard. Think about it: when we come out of this, your favourite #food spots might not be there any more.
Why are they so fucked? Let me explain.
Margins in the restaurant industry are notoriously small. Like tiny, actually. For reference, margins for banking, accounting, and legal services come in around 18–25%, healthcare 12-15%, and software 15–25%. Restaurants? 3–9%. Ya, like single digit. These razor thin profit margins have left restaurants with zero reserves. So when a crisis hits (like right now), they are pretty much screwed. Restaurant owners’ only options are to swallow their pride, beg, and hope for help — or throw in the proverbial dish towel. Did you realize how many restaurants don’t even have one months rent in the bank? It’s bananas!
via: Why Restaurants Are So Fucked | Medium
Posted Sunday 29th of March, 2020 at 6:01:46 PM by Jeff
A couple of weeks ago, as the possibility of the looming coronavirus pandemic began to settle in for most Americans, many people started preparing to ward off the virus by thinking about personal hygiene. Because advice about the efficacy of hand-washing and personal sanitization came early, Americans invaded big-box stores across the country to stock up on hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, cans of Lysol, and, for some reason, bales and bales of toilet paper. Feeling ready to clean up after yourself is pretty easy.
via: The Coronavirus: How to Get Food Safely – The Atlantic
#food #delivery #stayhome
Posted Tuesday 24th of March, 2020 at 5:54:31 PM by Jeff
Like many densely populated metropolitan areas, the Bay Area is now on complete lockdown. All non-essential businesses are closed, gatherings of large groups of people are banned, and residents have been told to leave their houses only if necessary. Among the businesses still running—at least in limited capacity—are supermarkets and restaurants, the latter of which are solely allowed to operate as take-out and delivery venues. I expect more cities will follow suit in the coming days and weeks.
Even so, plenty of folks—myself included—have been confused or curious about the safety of allowing restaurants to continue preparing and serving food. Is it actually safe? Should I reheat the food when I get it home? Is it better to support local businesses by ordering food, or am I only putting workers and delivery people at risk? And if I’m cooking my own food, what guidelines should I follow?
Via: Food Safety and Coronavirus: A Comprehensive Guide | Serious Eats
#groceries #food #advice