As restaurants put a temporary close to dine-in services, drive-thru, to-go, and delivery have become more feasible options. The COVID-19 pandemic has also impelled restaurants, mainly fast food chains, to limit their menus. 

McDonald’s is famous for their all-day breakfast menu. However, in order to reduce stress in the kitchen, McDonald’s is temporarily terminating all-day breakfast.

Danilo Herger ’20 considers himself a fast food fan, and he is upset that McDonalds had to cancel their all-day breakfast menu. “Their McGriddle is really good,” he said.

Aidan Horgan ’20, another fast food fan, has resorted to McDonald’s because of other limited food options. “I’m not a huge fan of McDonald’s,” he said, “but lately I’ve been going to that if I want some fast food.” 

Despite menu and dining limitations, many restaurants still offer delivery and take-out orders. The SF Chronicle has configured a list of some of the restaurants still open for delivery, take-out, and drive-thru orders throughout the Bay Area.

Some fast food chains are even offering free delivery for families weary of venturing out. Popeyes, for example, is waiving its delivery fee on orders $25 or over.

Chipotle is offering free delivery for orders over $10 and under $200. Only on Grubhub, Taco Bell is offering free delivery on orders over $12. Even Subway is delivering (for a limited time only) through Doordash, Grubhub, Postmates, and Uber Eats. 

In addition to free delivery options, restaurant chains are taking extra measures to ensure that their food is made safely for consumers. “Our pizzas are baked in 475-degree ovens to ensure food safety and never touched after baking,” reads Little Caesar’s website. 

Taco Bell is also ensuring a safe environment. “We’ve been leveraging information from experts and learning from the experiences of our sister brands in other countries to protect our people and our communities as best we can,” reads a page dedicated to COVID-19 and Safety Measures.

Despite these extra measures, some individuals are still weary about ordering fast food and delivery. 

Horgan stated that the pandemic “hasn’t affected my taste in fast food,” but he “[wants] to be more cautious when getting fast food.” 

For consumers who do not enjoy fast food, grocery options can get delivered right to your door through Instacart. 

Instacart hires shoppers to make life easier for those who are either unable or unwilling to go out of the house. “We know how to pick the freshest produce with the perfect ripeness,” states Instacart’s website, “And we’ll keep your eggs safe too.”

Instacart offers shopping from a variety of stores around the Bay Area, including Safeway, Sprouts, BevMo!, Costco Wholesale, among many other stores. They offer same-day delivery, making it a perfect option if you’re planning to cook something up for dinner!

English instructor Mary Dalton uses Instacart about once a week. “With the new reality of social distancing, it allows me to minimize the amount of people I’m around,” she said.

The conveniences of Instacart allow people to stay home and protect themselves from the risk of catching the virus. However, Instacart also has its disadvantages.

Dalton mentioned, “Sometimes they have to replace items that aren’t available, but you can still approve of the replacement.” 

Though Instacart allows consumers to stay in the comfort of their homes, the inability to shop for oneself is a drawback for some.

“I actually like doing my own grocery shopping,” said Dalton, “because I can see what’s actually on the shelves and have more control over my shopping experience.”

Despite limited fast food menus and the inability to shop at a grocery store without wearing a mask, Bay Area consumers are still finding a way to acquire the food they need and desire.