• A few places are taking a “wait and see” approach to see if they can generate sufficient business, however the majority are trying to stay open until normalcy returns. To do so, some have shortened their hours, modified their menus, or changed the protocols for how food is handled and exchanged with the customer to be consistent with “social distancing.” For example, Jersey Joe’s says it will deliver your order to your parked vehicle, and many fast food restaurants are relying on their drive-through lanes. Others are expanding their takeout and delivery options. Even though bars must close, Devil’s Canyon Brewery will allow you to pick up bottles or cans of beer or have them delivered to your home, and Domenico Winery will place your to-go bag of wine and food on their outdoor patio tables. An unscientific study done by driving down Laurel Street demonstrated an inevitable imbalance – some open restaurants had no activity while others had substantial queues (exacerbated by customers keeping their distance from each other), so the state of our local restaurant industry remains fluid. A piece of positive news could be the trend – started long before the current crisis – of the increasing popularity of online food delivery services, such as DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, Uber Eats, and Waiter.com. This industry has been growing at double-digit rates for the last few years, and according to Forbes, is on track to be a $200 billion business by 2025. Although these services have historically been more popular with younger diners, one can imagine the current crisis will cause older folks like myself to dive into that pool. Many of our local restaurants use one or more of these delivery services, so hopefully they can serve as a financial backstop for many of them. It’s interesting to note that Uber Eats alone saw a 10-fold increase in

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the number of self-serve signups by restaurants between March 12 and 19 versus a normal week. In this crisis, we must prioritize the safety of ourselves and others. However, we should remember that a healthy restaurant ecosystem is vital to both the livability of our cities as well as the livelihood of many of our neighbors. There are a number of resources to find out which restaurants are open, but keep in mind that many restaurants have not updated their websites. The best bet is to call to check on a restaurant’s status, if it has a special menu, and whether it has delivery options. Taking a trip downtown to pick up food after being cooped at home for most of the day is the closest that many of us will get to an outing, but delivery services are a great option too. If you really are worried about

getting food from a restaurant, you can always buy some gift cards for future visits once this crisis ends. Every little bit will both help our community and break up the inevitable monotony of the rotation of dishes that you probably cook at home. It’s hard to know when things may go back to “normal,” but even in these times we can still take advantage of the unique culinary landscape with which we are blessed. C San Carlos resident Seth Rosenblatt is a 23-year-resident of The City of Good Living who began a food blog more than a year ago about the local restaurant scene called—appropriately—cityofgoodeating.com. The principal in his own firm, Rosenblatt is a technology executive, writer and consultant and also served eight years on the San Carlos School Board.

What’s open for takeout in San Carlos during the lockdown? San Carlos Avenue • Tamari • Starbucks • King Chuan • Blue Line 600 Block Laurel Street • Lunch Box • House of Bagels • Siamese Kitchen • SusieCakes • Number 5 Kitchen • Patxi’s • Peet’s • Rangoon Ruby 700 Block Laurel Street • Nick the Greek • Sakura • Stamp Bar & Grill • Plantation Coffee 800 Block Laurel Street • Shiki Bistro • Crepe Stop1 • Starbucks • Boba Guys • LuLu’s • Yan’s Garden • 888 Ristorante • Broiler Express

1100-1800 Laurel Street • New Flower Drum • New Canton • Pazzo • Panda Dumpling • Sandwich Spot • Amazing Wok • Fina’s Cafe • The Toss • Johnston’s Saltbox • 3 Pigs BBQ Holly Street • El Maguey • Emelina’s Peruvian • Pho Vinh • Aya Sushi • El Charrito Industrial Road • In-N-Out Burger • Marsha’s Lunchbox • Chipotle • Jamba Juice • Starbucks • Wingstop • Domenico Winery Old County Road • Delicious Crepes Café • Emergency BBQ4 • Papachay Coffee

Washington Street • Devil’s Canyon El Camino Real • Jersey Joe’s • Kaya BBQ & Tofu • Omelette House2 • Kabul Afghan • McDonald’s • Dunkin’ Donuts • Taco Bell • CreoLa • Sirayvah Organic Thai • San Carlos Bar & Grill • Rita’s Italian Ice • Subway • Mountain Mike’s • Rustic House3 • Pho 82 • Jack in the Box • Round Table • New York Pizza • iGuey Taqueria • Mints & Honey • Mediterranean Delite • Baskin-Robbins • Office Bar & Grill • Carl’s Jr Skyway Road • Burger King • Izzy’s

This list is subject to change so be sure to call to check the current status April 2020 ·

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