Stay-home and social distancing orders are not about any one individual avoiding infection, per se, at all. They’re about reducing the transmission rate to avoid overloading hospitals. Workers performing essential services are at a higher risk.
For restaurants, prepay with no-contact pickup is probably the safest for everyone. This is the must comprehensive approach I’ve seen so far:
All meals will be prepared in the Benu kitchen and available for contactless pickup at the gated entrance. Benu is a 5,000-square-foot property and there will be no more than eight staff present at a time, allowing for ample physical distancing. Beyond strict hygiene practices, our team is adhering to protocols for their commute and living situation, mask use, and daily temperature checks.
“The reason we’re still continuing to do takeaway, it’s not because we’re making money,” Pim Techamuanvivit (San Francisco’s Kin Khao and Nari) says, “it’s so we can continue to support our suppliers, the farmers we’ve been working with. Because if we stop using all of the products, where are they going to go?”
This is apropos to nothing, just an observation. We’re doing a little takeout but have stocked up on a lot of groceries over the last couple of weeks and I’m enjoying getting back to cooking at home. Everyone has to do what makes them happy or feels is right for them. But my observation is when we do takeout/delivery I have marveled at how incredibly fresh the food is. I can only surmise it’s because it’s the restaurants’ only business right now and there is such a demand that the meat & produce are getting prepared and sent out the door as fast as it comes in. 
Interesting observation.
I have been (mostly) very impressed with the take out we’ve gotten. And I usually despise take out.
I did read somewhere (Yahoo, maybe?) that one dairy producer was literally throwing away 10,000-15,000 gallons of milk/day since the pandemic. Apparently labelling and bottling requirements are different if you’re supplying to a store vs. restaurant. So it does make sense that a restaurant operating very much helps their suppliers.
well, this picture pretty much sums it up.
like so many people around the world, i’ve been devastated by this crisis and my restaurants are not in good shape. restaurants are especially vulnerable for many reasons but immediately because they’re high cash businesses and employ a disproportionate amount of people for the revenues they generate.
understandably, i’ve seen so many of our industry leaders eliciting support for gov. relief and donations. i too hope there will be some government aid to affected small businesses. but we must also do our part and make sure our suppliers (who also run small businesses) don’t bear the brunt of our closures. i’m extremely distraught after speaking with a few suppliers today who haven’t been getting paid. i operate 3 restaurants; i get how cash flow works. but we have to pay our suppliers and, if we must, go under in the process. when cash is tight, you have to make really tough decisions, and i’ve made many this past few weeks that keep me up at night. but i implore chefs and restaurateurs to prioritize paying their vendors so that we have a supply chain to come back to some day.
the hard reality is we may not emerge from this as restaurant owners. that’s ok. but we have to emerge from this as members of an industry with integrity and a future.
stay healthy and positive everyone.
Most of my delivery orders have been from Lusy’s and Sri Siam. The quality has been excellent and all of the delivery personnel have been wearing face masks and gloves.
Have only done one delivery – from Wally’s Beverly Hills – and it wasn’t good. Never been enthralled with Wally’s Beverly Hills, but I did use to like their American Hero sandwiches (turkey, provolone) back when they had the take-out place on Westwood Blvd. Quality definitely not the same as the old Westwood Blvd. location. Sandwich was actually kind of gross and the lettuce was wilted. Won’t be ordering from them again.
Has anyone done Jon & Vinny’s delivery?
I have also done Wally’s - the problem is that they were not using ciabatta bread, so sandwiches were so so.
Joh & Vinny delivery was much better - chicken parm, polenta, cavateli, meat balls, and even mozzarella sticks were good. Pizza (Roman Gladiator) has great flavor but was too dry after warming up, but it may have been my fault too.
Yes, dairy farmers dumping because not even the increase in grocery or food bank needs can fill in for restaurant and school closures. I guess not as fungible.
Was in there one day before the stay at home order. They were already preparing to convert to a fully devoted takeout and delivery system. Pickup orders were piled in the front. Maybe they planned knowing food would be warmed up again.
I just assumed they were closed. Did you do the farm stand only, or is the PYO open too?
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50% capacity limit for restaurants
50% capacity for outdoor service. What does “capacity” mean in that case? Indoors it means the fire code limit.
“ outdoor service at restaurants, wineries and breweries will be limited to 50% of the maximum outdoor capacity”
I took this to mean if a resto has 10 tables set up according to COVID guidelines (6 feet apart), they can only fill 50% at a time.
It’s raining and then snowing here . Any suggestions ? Outdoor capacities.
I have been doing take out to support our local restaurants and adding gratuity. It is just too risky to be dining at restaurants with maskless people during Covid. I’ve dined at restaurants (not in LA) a couple of times since March only when no one was around me inside a Persian restaurant in Vegas or tacos at an outside patio in Encinitas. I have eaten most of my restaurants meals at home, inside my car, or at empty parks lol. Ya’ll are brave to be dining at a restaurant surrounded by maskless people during Covid! Be safe everyone.
GG LA restaurants.
Public health officials have announced that outdoor dining at restaurants across Los Angeles County will shut down on Wednesday, November 25. The modification of the county’s public health order was announced on Sunday, November 22, and takes effect on Wednesday at 10 p.m., after which restaurants will only be able to offer takeout meals or delivery. At that time, there will be no on-site dining of any kind, indoors or out, for at least three weeks.