Here's How to Find Out Which Restaurants Are Delivering in Your Area During Quarantine

Takeout deliveries from favorite local restaurants have been my savior as we continue to stay at home and stay safe from coronavirus. They fill in the gaps when I've had a hard time finding eggs or flour or other necessities at the grocery stores, or I'm just too tired from monitoring home schooling and keeping up with my day job to manage my family's meals, too. But figuring out which restaurants are open and when has been a little hit or miss, as the eateries near me shift hours and menus to suit what people need now.

Fortunately, Door Dash came through with the website Open for Delivery, which highlights all of the different options for getting your favorite dishes delivered to your doorstep—including Uber Eats, Postmates, Caviar, Grubhub, Skip the Dishes, and Foodera—so odds are you'll find someone who will deliver exactly the dishes you have your heart set on. And if you're worried about coronavirus exposure from eateries, the FDA says that takeout food is generally safe, and the delivery companies have set up options for no-contact delivery. (Just don't forget that if you're going with no-contact delivery, you should tip your deliveryperson generously within the app, so you can show your gratitude for their hard work, too.)

Open for Delivery also highlights the stories of small restaurants around the country who are helping keep us fed during the pandemic—and how ordering out can help you keep restaurant staffers employed and do some good for first responders, as many restaurants are now donating meals to hospital workers, fire and police departments, and EMTs.

You may be surprised to find that some restaurants (even high-end ones!) who may not have done delivery before are getting into the takeout game, now that their restaurant space is shut down. If you don't see your favorite eatery on one of the delivery apps above, take a look on their own website or social media accounts, as they may promote new menus, new hours, and new service options there. (That's where we discovered our neighborhood steakhouse was offering a comfort-food feast for four for $50—and has been donating food to local hospitals, too.)

Eating well—and helping out the workers and healthcare heroes in my local community? That's a win-win.