Coronavirus impact: McDonald's, Domino's Pizza start contactless delivery

McDonald's and Domino's Pizza have introduced contactless delivery, with state governments taking measures to avoid gathering of people in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Westlife Development, owner and operator of of McDonald's restaurants in west and southern India, on Monday said it has launched contactless delivery to ensure food reaches customers without being touched by bare hands and delivered safe with adequate social distancing measures.

Similarly, Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd (JFL), the licensee for Domino's Pizza in India said it has introduced zero-contact delivery all 1,325 restaurants of Domino's Pizza in India.

In a regulatory filing, Westlife Development said it has provided riders with sanitizers to sanitise hands before and after each delivery and has instructed them to sanitise delivery bags every two hours of use.

All delivery bags for both McDelivery service and third-party delivery partner orders are sealed with tape and the bill is stuck on the back of every bag, it said adding that presenter, assembler, packer and runner use gloves while handling food and delivery packets.

Westlife Development Ltd focuses on putting up and operating Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) in India through its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd.

Commenting on steps taken, Hardcastle Restaurants Managing Director Smita Jatia said, "Our customers' safety has been and will continue to be our top priority. On one hand, we have doubled up the safety and hygiene processes at our restaurants and on the other, we are ensuring contactless delivery to uphold consumers' trust in McDonald's."

The company further said that since the government is shutting malls and restaurants as a precautionary measure, McDonald's is expanding its delivery network to ensure its food is available to customers, both through its owned app and through third-party delivery partners

JFL said its zero-contact delivery feature has been introduced as an additional precautionary measure to ensure the safety of both customers and the delivery staff.

Customers can choose zero-contact delivery option while placing an order through its latest app and it is applicable for all prepaid orders, it added.

Once the safe delivery expert arrives with the order, the person will place it in front of the customer's door in a carry bag before moving back to a safe distance and will wait to ensure that it has been collected, it said.

Commenting on the step, JFL Chief Executive Officer and Whole-Time Director Pratik Pota, said, "In these difficult times, we have put in place even more stringent hygiene and sanitation protocols in our stores and for delivery."

All delivery staff are company employees who have been hired after being health checked, he added.

With the number of coronavirus infection rising in India, several state governments had announced measures to contain infection, including closing of schools, colleges, cinema halls and shopping malls.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 114 with one new case each in Ladakh, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala, Health Ministry officials said on Monday.