"Social Distancing" is part of the government's policy to reduce the spread of infection, which has led shops, restaurants, and cafes, including delivery services, to adopt new strategies for delivering food to customers to ensure safety for both "sellers" and "buyers".

"STARBUCKS" temporarily stops accepting personal cups and serves food in To-go containers.

Starbucks Coffee is a well-known coffee shop that has joined the campaign to reduce direct contact to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Starting March 17, all Starbucks branches nationwide, over 402 locations, temporarily stopped accepting personal cups and switched to To-go food containers, while suspending the placement of drink condiments, allowing baristas to serve upon request. Customers who show their personal cups at the store will still receive a 10 Baht discount per cup. Customers are also asked to maintain social distancing.

They recommend that customers switch to topping up and paying through the Starbucks Rewards application and the Starbucks Line Card, allowing customers at home or working from home to still choose to buy drinks via drive-thru or through delivery services in the Grab and Foodpanda applications.

"With concern for our customers, the familiar Starbucks experience may differ from before."

     "KFC" makes a slight adjustment by introducing "Touchless Delivery".

      Similarly, "KFC", the familiar fast-food fried chicken chain, has recently KFC Thailand enhanced its cleanliness measures and introduced the new service "Contactless Delivery" to ensure the safety of food consumed at every meal for customers, in line with the government's social distancing policy and to reduce cash handling and hand contact, with easy ordering in 3 steps.

  • Order – Through the website or KFC Thailand app, specify the use of Contactless service and pay with a credit card or Rabbit Line Pay.
  • Pack – Staff will handle the order, pack, and check the food quality before sealing the bag and placing it in the delivery staff's transport bag.
  • Deliver – The delivery staff will travel to the destination, call the customer, and invite them to pick up the food bag from the delivery bag while maintaining a safe distance.

"Just 3 simple steps that change receiving from the delivery staff's hands to picking it up from the bag, greatly enhancing safety."

 

      "Grab" offers touchless food delivery and advises customers to pay via GrabPay for a worry-free experience.

       GrabFood, the leading food ordering platform in Thailand, has launched the Contactless Delivery service, collaborating with restaurant partners to ensure cleanliness in food preparation and delivery containers, as well as providing hygiene measures for drivers by supplying face masks. Customers can easily order food through this service.

  • Customers specify the pickup – delivery location via chat.
  • GrabFood drivers notify customers upon arrival when delivering food at the specified location, placing the food on the delivery bag and waiting for the customer to come out and pick it up while maintaining a distance of 2 meters. Drivers must regularly clean or wash their hands before touching the packaging.
  • Customers are advised to choose payment methods via GrabPay to reduce the risk of germs that may come with cash.
  • If payment must be made with cash, customers are advised to place the money in an envelope and leave it at the delivery point, ensuring that all parties maintain a distance of 2 meters at all times.

     "Samyan Mitrtown" adjusts the area in front of the building to facilitate food delivery parking.

      Samyan Mitrtown, a mixed-use project in the Rama 4 area, has adjusted the area in front of the shopping center to serve as a parking space for over 50 food delivery drivers,reducing the time for order pickup and delivery by 5-10 minutes, allowing food delivery bikers to take up to 10 more orders per day.

Samyan Mitrtown has restaurants accounting for 37% of all shops in the shopping center. According to data from Grab Thailand, in the past month, Samyan Mitrtown has seen a growth rate of 30% in online delivery orders, with beverage shops being the most popular.

This customer segment will be an important source of income for operators during the COVID-19 pandemic, replacing customers who would normally visit in person. Enhancing convenience for food delivery bikers will also help reduce order refusals, stimulate sales for shops in the center to continue operating, and create additional income for food delivery bikers.

Information from: STARBUCKS, KFC, Grab, Samyan Mitrtown