Yes, last Friday we tried a new place we'd been meaning to try. They delivered and left it on the steps.

I almost never eat out or order take out. However with local restaurants losing business I have thought that I would get something about once a week just to help support them. One has closed already.

It was really puzzling me how this could be safe, and imho if you read the CDC site it says there is no evidence that someone has gotten the virus from food, but it doesn't categorically rule it out. It suggests following good hygiene protocols but you cannot possibly know what the preparer did.

My 2 cents -- eat only hot food (or food you will heat) and remove it from the container and wash your hands.

We haven't purchased take-out or delivery in months. I don't think it's more vulnerable, though, than items from the grocery store,

I plan to get food from some restaurants that I otherwise might not visit. This way I don’t have to find someone to go with me. Mtn has good advice. Reheat and don’t eat from the container. I might bring my own bag and ask them to put the food in there.

No, but we so rarely eat out anyway that it would just feel odd for us to do curbside now. I don't knoknow when the tides turned and we began preferring to eat at home, but it definitely happened. We are freakishly homebodies.

We usually eat out multiple times per week. And DH's industry is very dependent on local advertising so we want to be supportive of local business.

Since the social distancing warnings we have purchased take out twice but TBH it made me a little nauseous. We tried to limit contact with bags and packaging as much as possible, poured the food on our own plates and reheated. And washed our hands multiple times during the process.

We've been leaving non-refrigerated groceries in their bags and putting them on an unused counter and letting them sit for a couple of days. Everything else gets washed with hot water and soap and put in the freezer/fridge.

You can drive yourself crazy thinking about the travels of germs.

I'm torn. We're the type to go out to dinner and brunch on the weekends, and lunch 5x a week. Now, for two weeks+, every meal has been inside. This isn't due to fear, necessarily, if it is true as they say that the primary infection vectors are airborne. At some point, supporting the local businesses are on the agenda. Some people do suggest, however, to buy gift cards from these businesses so they can get the cash flow.

We rarely eat out, but I love going to breakfast with a friend. If it would warm up, I’d meet a friend at a park, separate blankets, and enjoy at least a breakfast wrap and coffee.

Now that I'm retired and have more energy to cook, eating out and ordering in declined sharply. None at all in the last 2-3 weeks. I noticed long ago that my own cooking rarely causes gastric distress, but food prepared by others does so more often than I think it should.

Thanks to this thread, I just checked the website for my favorite restaurant. It has excellent food and amazing service. They're offering a very limited curbside menu through April. I feel terrible for not thinking of them. They have always accomodated special requests and even did take-out for us when I was ill a few years ago. I'll call in the morning to order dinner for tomorrow night!

ETA: This is one of two places I'd even consider. It's a small "white tablecloth" place, I'm aquainted with the chef and have personally seen that her kitchen is immaculate. Most restaurant kitchens - well, you really don't want to think about it.

No, we've yet to eat out. I think the last time we did, it was a family lunch on the 7th - now it wouldn't be a good idea or with as many present.

I've been hungry for our favorite Mexican restaurant. But some of the things I enjoy that complete the meal for me from there are not cooked....lettuces, onion, tomatoes, limes, and their guac! They are doing curbside and take out but we have not gone.

We've had coffee from a Starbucks drive up just one time in the last 2+ weeks - this afternoon.

We eat out at least once a week and usually once a week I eat out with “the girls.”

I am abstaining from carryout for a few weeks, but when we decide to I agree with Mtn—-only get food you can reheat. Remove from the restaurant containers and use your own plates and utensils. Discard restaurant packaging and thoroughly wash hands after handling.

Someone in our community posted today that they were ordering donuts to be delivered to our grocery store for the employees as a thank you. We donated, but then I wondered if the employees would eat them. I would like to think that restaurants are being extra careful during this time.

We have thought about doing it a couple of times but haven’t done it yet. I have enjoyed cooking at home and now I am more into a rhythm of more planning instead of going out to eat. We enjoyed a Mexican meal and a couple of other favorite spots out with friends now and then. It doesn’t seem the same to just go get it and bring it home. A couple of our faves were doing curbside service and orders ahead but now have stopped for 2 weeks.

It really doesn't appeal to me that much to eat a restaurant meal at home. I like going to restaurants for the complete experience of going OUT to eat.

I enjoy dining out for the experience of it; ordering an interesting cocktail, sharing an appetizers, being served, I love the leisurely pace of a fine meal served in a well designed space. Curbside pickup has little appeal for me. Since I am still working from home, time management can be an issue but that’s when I say everyone’s favorite words, “breakfast for dinner.”

I was looking last night to see if any of the local craft brewers had curbside growler pickup, but only found bottles. I will probably use that service.

I'm not because I don't know if someone could be sick at the restaurant. I just am a little bit paranoid. I'm trying to only go get groceries when I absolutely have to and wearing my gloves when I go and wiping things down after I unload the groceries.

Tuesday is usually pizza night - take out from local restaurant we've frequented for 20 years. They now have take and bake. I think I will do that. If I cook it at home I don't think the risk is any more than bringing a package into the house from the grocery store.

We just don’t eat out anymore, so it hasn’t even been a temptation. I would not, however, feel any risk in doing so. I may be old, but my immune system is strong, and statistics are on my side. Not worried.

We rarely eat out, but tried take out last Friday evening and it was good, after a really stressful week, it felt luxurious to eat comfort food (chicken parm), and it was quite reasonable, no wine, no apps, no dessert, etc. I still have my job, we are healthy and I want our local economy to eek out an existence during this time. The bill was $29, we tipped $20, which is about what the total bill would have been with a glass of wine for me, a beer for DH and an app to share. Our plan is to keep going on Friday nights with take out, we have 3 local places in mind, we know people who work at all of them, and we are trying to support our small community, at least while I still have a job.

I'm with localeater - without the experience of being out, being served, not having to prep, clean up or even set the table, restaurant food just looses it's appeal to me. We're not fast food eaters and don't frequent casual chain restaurants either so there's nothing we have as a 'usual' that we crave. And I figure it's one less 'contamination issue' we have to worry about. It's just DH and me, no kids, so sometimes dinner is a full blown meal and sometimes it's cheese & crackers. But that's the way we operated pre-covid, too.

I usually cook Mon - Thursday and Saturdays most weeks. Friday night is most always at a diner/deli type (small) place that has delish food. Grilled food to fish fry (fridays only) to kind of a blue plate special (meat and 2 sides). Lovely family that runs it. We have gotten hooked on the food, the owners and enjoying the regular customers there. They are takeout only now, so we will support them. Sundays is usually out-to-eat with our besties and I am sure missing them! This past Sunday we did takeout from another restaurant we frequent. Many in the area are doing the family meals and I have seen some good deals advertised, although it's only the 2 of us, so we probably won't be ordering those, but it's a good idea.

A young mom in our town started a cooking business over a year ago. She sends out emails to her client list of what she Is making that week, lists ingredients and sizes, and you order by email. She rents her church’s commercial kitchen and prepares the meals there, then sets up a little tent at the kitchen door for a drive thru pick up of your order. Her food is delicious! She is a trained chef and at the beginning of the pandemic took us all through her precautions and serve safe adherence in a long email. We pick up during a Tuesday afternoon window so today I will pick up my order of Waldorf chicken salad (celery, apples, grapes and walnuts, chicken and mayo she makes herself) and two veggie frittatas that I plan to freeze. I now wear gloves for the bag handover and exchange of money but am going to pay by Venmo from now on. I’ve never had the slightest qualm about cleanliness and know her and her family. if anyone is practicing social distancing it’s this woman, so I will continue to use her pick up service to inject a little variety into our meals. We are really, really lucky to have her.

We can also order takeout from our golf club And have done so a couple of times. We know everybody who works there also.... small town advantage.

No, but we rarely did before, anyway. I feel like there might be a little risk in getting takeout, and so far, I'm really only willing to take a risk at the grocery store. As of last night, we are in 3 week stay at home implemented by our state, and I hope we will only need to go out for groceries once - if at all.

No way. We can't afford it and most places for eating out seemed germy to me long before this virus scare. I've had some scary snotty servers, and I don't mean impudent! Sometimes it's tough being a biologist, particularly a microbiologist.

We have a loose policy that we only eat out when we've got guests, since I think mostly my home cooked meals taste better, are healthier and cheaper to boot. Very occasionally I get takeout from a couple of local places.

So we haven't ordered anything lately and probably won't.

Yes, we eat out often and have several locally owned restaurants we love. Curbside pick up is fine with us....we can plate it at home, have a glass of wine, a salad from the garden.

No, we have not. I've always cooked at home and rarely dined out previously. Now, as others have noted, it's just an extra thing to worry about that I don't need at this time. That may change once this subsides so we can help boost our local economy.

Most of the restaurants in my town will bring it to you now. They never delivered before. I've only had one as my daughter ordered two meals for us. I'm doing the cooking now as I'm not leaving.

My take and bake pizzas are now cooking at 450 degrees and I quickly disposed of the packaging (that never entered my kitchen) and washed hands thoroughly. OMG - it smells SO good!!

3katz i can smell it from here I think!

I've decided to try to re-create the 'restaurant experience' at home this weekend. I am not sure what that will mean yet. I do think I will strive to create beautifully plated appetizers, entrees and desserts as well as tablescape and signature cocktail. Of course, this will all be subject to the contents of my fridge, freezer, pantry, and arts and craft cubby(for tablescape). I will keep you posted. :)

Lovely idea. I sent one friend Kitchen Papers placemats and some tealight candles with the same thought. Also thinking of having a black tie/formal family dinner.

We had a late lunch of the chicken salad we picked up from town with wheat crackers on a bed of lettuce. So....we ate pie for dinner. I made the pie from cherries and strawberries with a bottom crust and a crumb topping. Cream whipped with vanilla paste as an accompaniment. Most of our local restaurants do not have very good desserts so even if we did get takeout it wouldn’t be dessert anyway. We are trying to cut down on those but this was a special treat to deal with fruit about to expire.

We’re trying to . . . somewhat, but because we try to avoid the empty carbs, it’s harder. DD will be home here for a week starting this Thursday, so I know we’ll be making runs out for our beloved New Mexican breakfast burritos at least a few times (LOL)!

We have a few times, even though my kids are 19 and 20, i'm trying to make things feel a like "normal" for them...especially DD who tends to run a little more anxious than DS.

Health experts have said there’s also a low risk for contracting the virus when ordering takeout. CNN reported that even if the virus was on the food and you end up eating it, there are not many receptors for the virus to latch onto in the digestive system, so your digestive system would get rid of it on its own.

I wonder if someone can answer this. We are told that if we get the virus on our hands, then touch our mouth, nose or eyes, we can get sick. So if it can be transmitted from your hand to your mouth, why is not as risky if one ingests it w food? And does this mean, for safety's sake, i should be eating constantly (because this is apparently part of my plan already).

Mtn, from what I have read, it is the stomach acids that will kill the virus because it cannot live in that ph environment. We haven’t yet, but I would not have an issue buying cookEd food from a takeout restaurant and then transferring it to our own dishes. Cold salads, I would be wary of, even though in theory, the stomach acid would kill it.

Except some patients do exhibit Gasto symptoms....I think no one knows exactly how we get infected...

My neighbor told me this afternoon that police or State Patrol in our are are actually stopping people in their cars to ask if the people have a legitimate reason to be going where they are going! She said someone they know was stopped and had to show ID, driver's license, something else I can't remember, and give a reason for being out and about. Now it sounded like this may have been in the evening hours, not sure about daytime.

Her husband wanted to go to Lowes for a light. She told him "Just tell them you're going to Walmart for groceries". hmmm.

So, I was thinking. My friend has had surgery and is house bound anyway and would like a meal from Bob Evans. I told her I'd go for take-out this weekend. Is take-out a legitimate excuse? She has been helped with groceries from other friends and neighbors.

There’s going to be a lot of contradictions in what is safe and what isn’t because no one really knows for sure. We seldom ever eat take out anyways, but won’t for sure now.

Localeater, Prying hubby from in front of the TV would be a start for me.

Yes what Lukki Irish said, we will find out more as we do more research on transmission paths, what is and is not safe. We have some tentative data right now, but more will be forthcoming as the virus spreads around the world. The reason I am willing to err on the side of caution is that I don't have a place I like or trust to eat out at right now even under the best of circumstances so now's not going to be the time to start experimenting. I wish that there was a way for me to support the one or two places I do like to go just to help them make it through these times, but right now all my discretionary giving and spending is going to the local food pantry. Many of our other less formal means of food distribution have had to close temporarily here until we can regroup when there are more resources to keep us safe. Those who can gear up now for maximum safety are having to meet more and more need as time goes on. We are one of the top states right now for virus spread.

Right now the virus prevalence is relatively low compared to what it will be in future months, so we have no way of knowing how it will spread here in the US. Right now is the calm before the storm. A lot depends on how we manage the crisis and how successful we are at keying in on lowering the rate of spread and the prevalence in society. For example if 50% of the population gets infected it will be a lot safer than with 70% of the population infected, and on and on. If we can identify and effectively quarantine the sick, they will not likely be at work spreading the virus. But if not, all bets are off. That's why quick, accurate, inexpensive and safe testing is so vital to us getting back in business.

Being a bit of a somewhat-rational-catastrophist at the best of times, we won’t be getting take-out food. Although my husband prepares great meals at home, we also enjoyed eating out with friends on weekends and a couple of lunches a week. I miss the socializing and the experience. Take-out is tempting, but I don’t want to risk it.

I live in a small town so we have just a couple restaurants right here. We have plenty of food but we will do the curbside (which is new for them) at our favorite local place this weekend. I want to support them and trust their sanitation. Also will get produce box from a local farm.

in the larger area where I work in the public health sector we are ordering every few days to support local curbside.

All businesses I know are very sanitary.

Nope, not a chance, I don't want someone sneezing on my food right now.

Well I never do, but definitely not at this time.