If ordering takeout this week and don't know if your fav restos offer it, just call them and ask if they're open or are offering delivery/takeout. A lot of the smaller places don't have the resources to have a site, IG account or hire a PR firm to get the message out.

Some also created their own in-house delivery system to save money on paying commission to delivery apps (some even offer discounts if you order directly through them).

It's not a perfect system, but it's some form of revenue to help with mounting bills (esp. rent). As others have already written, it's frustrating that the choice is to either stay open and be a front-line worker, or close and be safe at home but have no money coming in.

Of course, we have to look at the bigger picture. Putting the onus on diners isn't going to save restaurants. I literally spent $150+ on just two meals for myself this past two weeks cause I had to order enough to justify the delivery and tip the driver well.

I'm a bonkers food person, so spending this much on food isn't off-brand for me, but there are so many people who have lost their jobs or are stressing out about potentially losing their jobs that everyone is spending less across the board for...an indefinite amount of time.

As others have already written, the restaurant model has been broken for a while: slim profits, undervalued workers, long hours, abuse, precarious employment. Takeout helps a bit (for the restos offering/pivoting to takeout anyway), but it won't solve everything.

The pandemic has exposed cracks everywhere (healthcare, housing, food distribution, labour, etc.) but staying on the topic of restos, huge changes need to be made to help the businesses and people that make our neighbourhood/city/country be able to survive well past this.

Like, I shouldn't have to have a 10-minute existential crisis and internal debate every time I want to order delivery cause I'm sick of my own cooking!

But yeah, there are a lot of people working overtime right now to make sure we have food on our tables: farmers, migrant workers, cleaners, food processors, cooks, dishwashers, cashiers, delivery people, stock people, cleaners, grocery app workers, packers, etc.

And these are the ones that are historically underpaid and have little job protection and benefits, despite many of them literally risking exposure right now. The question is how/if things will change for them after this.

This has been a look inside Uncle Karon's mind whenever he gets a craving for takeout friend chicken for the past month.

(I often miss the takeout cut-off window because of this lol)

*fried chicken* lol...I miss my friends.