As Diners Self-Isolate, Restaurants Are Scrambling To Stay Ahead Of Bans On Business

Everybody who eats out often has a favorite spot. Last week, I offered some tips on how to help restaurants and cafes during the coronavirus crisis.

You all responded with enthusiasm, show just how much you value your local hangouts.

They’re still great ideas, and if you can follow them, that’s fine, but events are quickly overtaking the restaurant industry.

A new phrase has entered the restaurant world’s lexicon: “limited contactm” which applies to both ordering and obtaining food.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he’d prefer that people not eat at all right now.

Fauci said he’s been raising the idea of a restaurant ban with the Trump administration.

The issue is especially crucial because it is St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Millions of people disregarded cautions to stay home and went out on Saturday night, and it’s likely many will continue partying right through Tuesday, when the holiday actually takes place.

However, some bars and restaurants in South Boston, a traditional spot for revelers, have voluntarily decided to close.

Hoboken, N.J., has imposed a curfew and is closing its bars and restaurants. There are calls for big cities like Chicago and New York, which have limited big gatherings, to do the same.

A number of restaurant owners have decided to close temporarily, including the Union Square Hospitality Group, owned by Danny Meyer, and Le Bernardin, the three-star Michelin restaurant whose chef is Eric Ripert.

Still, other places across the country are trying to remain open, and they’re embracing a number of ways to make it possible for their customers to eat their food. Here are the two main ways they are trying to stay ahead of the shutdowns.

Curbside carry out. This weekend, Sofra Bakery & Cafe in Boston told its customers to wait in their cars or on the street for their orders.

That practice also has been instituted across a number of the food places in the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses in Ann Arbor, Mich.

App ordering and delivery. Of course, delivery apps have been bringing restaurant meals to patrons for years now. But restaurants are now emphasizing that customers don’t need to come in to get food.

Data from Open Table, collected last week, is showing just how bad the crisis is getting. Reservations were already falling in late February and early March, but on Friday, they fell 36 percent.

Events are moving swiftly, and it’s quite possible that this will be one of the toughest weeks that the restaurant industry has ever experienced.

If your favorite place is still open, and you’re craving its food, don’t delay in placing your order. You might not be able to get that special dish for a while.