Day 1: Food app errors, delayed delivery, executives sans masks

“I was trying to access many popular food delivery apps for more than an hour between 1 and 2 pm but received several error messages, including one that said my address was incorrect. I have never encountered such problems before. Other messages said that the restaurant I wanted food from closed down all of a sudden,” said Lavanya, a resident of Kodambakkam. Many residents in areas like West Mambalam and T Nagar have been under home quarantine after coming into contact with COVID-19 positive patients and the areas have several road blocks. This could be another reason why the delivery services took so long to accept a request, Lavanya added.

After placing an order at 1 pm through an app, a resident of Anna Nagar received her meal only an hour later despite the app saying the food would arrive in 35 minutes. “I opted for contactless delivery, but I was looking through the door viewer and saw that the delivery executive had covered his face with only a handkerchief and wasn’t wearing gloves either. So, despite opting for the safer version, it clearly isn’t so,” said the resident. However, both users said their food was warm, well-cooked, and made with top class ingredients.

When DT Next visited restaurants and grocery stores, around 50 per cent of delivery executives were seen with masks. One delivery executive even wore surgical gloves. When asked if they had been provided with protective gear, an executive said, “We have not been given masks. We would have to purchase them with our own money and the supply too has dwindled.”