Nervous about restaurants? Then order delivery, L.A. mayor says

Jenn Harris
·3 min read
Mayor Eric Garcetti
Mayor Eric Garcetti is encouraging diners to order delivery to help stop the spread of novel coronavirus. (David Crane / Associated Press)

To help prevent the spread of coronavirus, consider ordering delivery instead of going out to eat, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said during a press conference Thursday.

“If you were going to go out to dinner, maybe you don’t go out to dinner,” the mayor said. “But order out at that restaurant. Let’s prop up those local businesses that are here in Los Angeles.”

A number of restaurants around town are prepared. Josef Centeno, chef-owner of Baco Mercat, Bar Ama and Orsa & Winston in downtown L.A. and Ama Cita in Culver City, will start offering new heat-and-serve dishes on Friday.

“We encourage anyone who doesn't feel great to stay home and order food for delivery or pickup via @trycaviar or by calling the restaurants,” Centeno wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday.

View this post on Instagram

Hi all, These are crazy times. And I want to give a shout-out to our local and federal government for really keeping us in the dark and not acting swiftly. In an attempt to be responsible and proactive, we are offering new delivery packages of heat-and-serve dishes starting Friday. We encourage anyone who doesn’t feel great to stay home and order food for delivery or pickup via @trycaviar or by calling the restaurants. If you do come out, make sure you are being responsible for the well-being of others and yourself. At the restaurants we are following extreme hand-washing and sanitizing measures, above and beyond the already high standards for food service. I am not forcing employees to work and making it at-will. We are trying to put the safety of our staff and community first. We are staying informed and playing it day by day and hour by hour. Everyone be safe and be safe to others. ⚡️⚡️⚡️ josef

A post shared by Josef Centeno (@chefjosefcenteno) on Mar 12, 2020 at 11:59am PDT

Antico, Chad Colby’s Italian restaurant in Larchmont, is now offering a limited takeout menu.

“We’ve noticed a lot of cancellations, which means you want our food but are concerned with public gatherings,” the restaurant wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. “We totally understand and got you covered!”

View this post on Instagram

We've noticed a lot of cancellations, which means you want our food but are concerned with public gatherings. We totally undersand and got you covered! Starting tonight in addition to our regular dining service we are also offering a limited menu for PICK-UP. Just give us a call at (323) 510-3093 and we will fire it up for you from 6pm-9pm!

A post shared by Antico (@antico___la) on Mar 12, 2020 at 4:29pm PDT

Michael’s Santa Monica is also pushing a new delivery and takeout menu in light of recent events. The restaurant is completing its sign-up with Caviar now, and the menu should be available next week.

Gwen, Curtis Stone’s meat-centric Hollywood restaurant, plans to launch a home delivery option next week. Delivery has been in the works for a while, but a representative for the restaurant said that due to recent events, the process was expedited.