A number of restaurants feel that the Government should allow its clients to collect their food orders from outside the restaurant, in the car park or on a drive-by basis, for example, deeming the risk of a Corona Virus infection to be far reduced in this manner.  It also cuts out the costs of the delivery service, borne by the client ultimately, companies like Uber Eats and Mr D taking up to 30% in fees. They are supported in this call by Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA).

The Restaurant Association of South Africa wrote to its members by What’s App, informing them that it had sent a submission to ‘reopen restaurants for takeaways collection and drive through. RASA submitted a motivation and a video to support our submission detailing the safe efforts and process to allow restaurants to trade for the above. We have been advised that the Submission has been reviewed and the Minister will address the industry in due course’.

 

The owner of Salushi Sushi Bar in Claremont, Grant Isaacs, wrote a passionate plea to the Government, to allow Food Collection from restaurants, and requesting that the Government should regulate the ‘3rd party delivery partners’, to maintain the same standard of hygiene as the restaurants do.  He wrote as follows on Social Media:

‘To The Minister (who has no clue as to how businesses on the ground actually operate),

PLEASE OPEN UP FOR COLLECTION FROM RESTAURANTS!

We respectfully request this with the health and safety of our nation in mind based on the following facts:

Restaurants are geared and prepared to manage all health and hygiene risks in-store. 3rd party delivery partners are not. They are not monitored and from what we’ve noticed, not adhering to strict hygiene protocol. Please urgently engage with these operators and ensure that strict hygiene policies are enforced, similar to those which restaurants themselves must adhere to!

Moreover,

People will start breaking the law to collect or get around the “delivery only” restrictions and this is a slippery slope you do not want to encourage

Restaurants are being forced to hike prices and pass on additional costs to an already squeezed clientele

Restaurants simply cannot survive delivering with a 5km radius. Doing our own delivery is the obvious alternative but we are restauranteurs not logistics experts. And right now, more than ever, we need to be focussing on protocol in-store without taking our eye off the ball!

We could go on at length but we know your plates are full. We’ve therefore kept this simple and concise.

If you have any concern for the health of your nation and the sustainability of the restaurant industry as a whole, we trust you will be guided by common sense and take our plea to heart.

Sincerely,

Team Salushi

Please feel free to share this post if you agree 🙏🍣‘

 

Since Restaurant Food Delivery has been allowed in Level 4 of Lockdown since 1 May 2020, there has been growing criticism against third-party delivery companies, especially against UberEats and Mr D, not only for their excessive pricing for this service but also for its less than hygienic congregating outside popular restaurants whilst waiting outside for their next delivery, without Social Distancing nor wearing masks, as I observed in Sea Point on Saturday!  I will write a follow-up article on the criticism of UberEats in particular!

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein