
Ask HN: Are you ordering takeout? (U.S.) - _bxg1
Even in areas that have banned eating at restaurants, at least here in Texas, most of them remain open for pickup&#x2F;delivery.<p>It&#x27;s very tempting with everything that&#x27;s going on to order some comfort food. But I can&#x27;t decide whether or how much of a risk that would be. Obviously places are making various efforts to keep things clean, first and foremost being closing the doors to dine-in customers. But I have no way of knowing how extensive the efforts are at a given place (I don&#x27;t think there&#x27;s any kind of standard regulation; certainly there wouldn&#x27;t be any comprehensive enforcement of it). At the same time, it seems like lots of people are ordering.<p>What do you think? In terms of how much of a risk it might be in general, but also in terms of ways of verifying the level of safety.
======
jonblankenship
Yes - I'm not concerned about the low risk, it's treat for me and my
quarantined family, and I want to support our economy (especially local
establishments). We ordered takeout three times this week.

I don't normally tip for takeout, but I've changed that behavior this past
week while restaurants and their employees are hurting. I'd encourage others
with a stable income to consider doing the same!

------
rhacker
Bad idea. I was at a Safeway yesterday and I heard an employee in the bakery
coughing. Full on Coughing. No other employee said anything. I quickly left
the store.

It comes down to trust. These people may have varying degrees of care when it
comes to all of this stuff. So if you're up for a game of chance, by all means
order takeout.

------
WheelsAtLarge
I was nervous but I did it.

I asked them to leave the food and I also washed whatever came in a plastic
container.

Here's a CNN article that might help.

[https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/health/food-safety-
groceries-...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/health/food-safety-groceries-
coronavirus-wellness/index.html)

~~~
DrScump
Burger buns, fry boxes, burger wraps, bags, receipts, etc. are all vectors.

Consider that fast food workers are generally living on the margin and will be
more tempted to work when sick, in general.

------
cmurf
Based on my reading it's a very low risk. If you want to reduce it further,
give it a quick zap in the microwave or toaster oven.

~~~
_bxg1
Could you be more specific? Do you have any links?

~~~
dylz
Most takeout containers are microwavable. Remove the lid / wipe down the
outsides (bag, etc), use your own cutlery, wash hands after making contact
with the bag.

Reheat food item. Plate onto own plate.

------
masonic
Texas? I could live off Rudy's indefinitely.

Many sit-down restaurants in SV are offering heavy discounts for takeout to
use up perishable inventory and keep some cash flow. QBB in Mountain View is
50% off, for example.

Some casual dining places are offering discounts/ bonuses on gift cards, too.

------
thehoff
We have a couple times this week. It sounds corny but we figure it’s our way
to try and help out others.

We’ve asked delivery drivers to leave food on ground by door and we get it
after they leave.

Any little bit helps I hope to at least some of these businesses afloat.

------
icedchai
I try to limit it in an attempt to reduce risk. I used to order lots of take
out.

Turns out, this time is pretty good for weight loss. At least something
positive will come out of it.

------
willcate
I did, yesterday, BBQ ribs and brisket in SC.

