Qinma Hotpot personnel are preparing takeout dishes.

A “reassuring card” in the takeout package of Zhoushixiong Hotpot (Picture provided by the interviewee)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Many citizens have stayed at home for a long time since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) and miss the delicious Chongqing hotpot so much. Now this wish can be easily realized even if you don’t go out.

Under the guidance of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce and relevant departments, Chongqing Hotpot Association screened 82 hotpot restaurants from the voluntary hotpot restaurants to offer “zero-contact” hotpot takeout service for citizens.

According to a reporter of Chongqing Daily, the“zero-contact” hotpot takeout service has become popular recently in Chongqing.

Hotpot takeout has become popular

At 3:00 p.m. on February 14, at Nanbin Road Restaurant of Qinma Hotpot, several personnel were busy in cutting, preparing dishes, packaging or carrying packaged hotpot condiments and dishes onto the minibus outside.

“All these are takeout ordered by customers. We have completed dozens of orders today,” told by an employee.

“We have offered the takeout service for several years, but it was not so popular before. There were only over 10 orders per day on average,” said Li Xinyu from Qinma. After the outbreak of NCP, the hotpot takeout orders increased sharply.

It was not just the case in Qinma Hotpot. Since the second day of the lunar new year, Chongqing Bailetian Hotpot also have received from 50-60 orders to more than 300 orders per day, with 100 orders per day on average. Many of them were from returned customers.

“Now citizens are full of enthusiasm about the hotpot takeout,” said Xie Li, the General Manager of Bailetian Hotpot.

“Zero-contact” delivery ensures the safety

Facing the strong enthusiasm of citizens, how do the personnel of hotpot enterprise feel assured for the delivery and do the customers feel assured for the food during the epidemic?

The reporter visited some hotpot enterprises and found that they made a lot of efforts in epidemic prevention and control.

At the Bailetian Nanbin Road Restaurant, the staff were in protective clothing and wearing hats, masks and rubber gloves.

“Our personnel are ‘armed to the teeth’ from the food preparing and packaging to the delivery,” said Xie Li. The enterprise also requires the personnel for food preparing, packaging and delivery to measure temperatures for several times every day and put the temperature information card of relevant personnel in the takeout package bag.

Besides, every takeout is packaged in two disinfected plastic bags. After arriving at the customer’s community, the deliveryman will open the outer bag and let the customer directly take out the inner bag to ensure “zero contact” between the deliveryman and customer.

In Qinma Hotpot Restaurant, for the purpose of effective prevention and control, all personnel of the takeout operation team will be subject to temperature measuring and disinfection before working, before and after takeout delivery, and all personnel must wear protective equipment.

Orders can be placed by telephone, WeChat, etc.

At present, Chongqing Hotpot Association has screened 82 hotpot restaurants to offer “zero-contact” hotpot takeout service. The price and means of payment will be negotiated by the customer and restaurant. 

Unlike fast food takeout that mainly relies on third-party logistics, hotpot enterprises not only cooperate with third-party logistics for the takeout delivery, but also deliver the takeout themselves. For instance, all dishes and hotpot condiments of Bailetian Hotpot are prepared at the central kitchen and then distributed to the Nanbin Road Restaurant in a unified manner. Most of the takeout is packaged here and then delivered to customers by vehicles arranged by the company. As for a few orders received late in the afternoon, the third-party logistics will be entrusted to deliver. However, all orders of Qinma Hotpot are delivered directly by the company.

If citizens want to order from these restaurants, there are many ways to place the order. For example, the takeout of Bailetian Hotpot can be ordered by phone, WeChat, mini-program, “ele.me”, etc. (Translated by Huang Juan, Fathom Language Limited)