WITH the coronavirus outbreak in China continuing to spread, McDonald’s Corp., Starbucks Corp. and other fast-food companies are ramping up “contactless” pickup and delivery services to keep their workers and customers safe, the companies said. McDonald’s has implemented contactless pickup and delivery of Big Macs, fries and other menu items across the China as the outbreak has unfolded. Customers order remotely – on mobile phones or by computers in store – and employees seal the meals in bags and put them in a special spot for pickup without human contact, McDonald’s says on its website. For delivery orders, drivers drop McDonald’s packages at building entrances, disinfect their delivery bags and wash their hands more frequently. Drivers carry ID cards showing that they — and the people who made and packaged their food — had their body temperature scanned to prove they do not have a fever. Starbucks suggests customers order coffee via its app and then wait outside its cafés until they get a pickup notice. Orders are placed on tables just inside café entrances. If they do enter Starbucks locations, customers have their temperature taken at the door, as fever is one of the main symptoms of infection, and baristas wear masks. Yum China Holdings Inc. rolled out contactless delivery Jan. 30, with contactless pickup coming two days later at its KFC and Pizza Hut locations, the company said. Since the start of the outbreak, Yum China has closed more than 30 percent of its locations. There have been “significant interruptions,” with sales off as much as 50 percent in those that remained open since the Lunar New Year holiday, versus the same time last year, chief financial officer Ka-wai Yeung said in a Feb. 5 earnings call. The crisis has accelerated the rollout of Yum China’s contactless services in China, it said in a statement. (SD-Agencies) |