Food delivery services surge in popularity
PHOTO: Like many Davis restaurants during the pandemic, Burger IM partners with the food delivery service Grubhub.
By Caroline Chilcott,
BlueDevilHUB.com Editor–
Food delivery services have gained immense popularity while indoor dining options have been closed and limited due to COVID-19. Many local businesses have adapted to these new circumstances by adding delivery services.
These delivery services can be an easy way for people to safely work from the comfort of their car or order a quick contactless meal from a local business.
Davis High senior Celia Cariou started working as an employee of Jack’s Urban Eats when online orders were at an all time high. “I’m not positive on the exact number but I can assume that daily we have at least 50 to 100 orders from (Grubhub, Postmates, UberEats and DoorDash). On some days when we are very busy, we typically receive a lot more orders,” Cariou said.
Many of Jack’s Urban Eats customers have opted to order their meals online to receive a contactless delivery. “I think our orders from these sites have increased as stay at home orders were put on Davis. Many people are staying at home to reduce the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,”Cariou said.
In a time when finding a job is especially difficult, several college students have become food delivery drivers. DHS alumna Paloma Torres Salas began working for Doordash in April of 2020.
“I started working for DoorDash because I was going to start school in the fall, and textbooks are expensive,” Torres Salas said.
Torres Salas typically works from 11:30 to 1 p.m.
“I usually start my day dashing around the lunch rush and get two orders at a time to deliver. I dash from an hour-and-a-half to up to three hours if it’s really busy,” Torres Salas said.
While ordering food online is a safe option for the customer, many wonder whether or not the food delivery drivers are able to follow COVID-19 safety protocols while working.
“With COVID-19, DoorDash sent the dashers complimentary masks, hand sanitizer and gloves. I usually use my own mask from home, but I always make sure to use hand sanitizer before and after I drop off an order,” Torres Salas said.
Carson Bain, another DHS alumnus, worked for DoorDash from May to October 2020. “It seemed like a quick and easy way to make money, all while being COVID safe,” Bain said.
Bain’s schedule was similar to Torres Salas’, though oftentimes, he would work two shifts per day. “An average day would start by filling up my car with gas if it was low. Then I would start to take orders. I would usually go right before the lunch rush and around 5 p.m. for dinner time. I would pick up orders from restaurants all over Davis, and some that I didn’t even know existed,” Bain said.
