Supporting Local Business - Bring Your Restaurant at Home

[ErmesT]

We normally prepare our food at home, we make pasta, bred and pizza by ourselves.

Restaurant is reserved to special situations, like an event, a party, an opportunity to meet with friends or, when traveling, to taste and explore Local Food.

Travelling is actually not possible, and we meet our friends virtually for a pizza, a coffee, or a glass of wine (thanks to @LuigiZ and @KarenVChin ), so our restaurant abstinence has increased day by day.

However, given that many restaurants have activated home delivery, why not take advantage of it and at the same time help them work?

The opportunities are certainly not missed: birthdays, special holidays such as Easter (just to name one) were the perfect occasion to “Bring Your Restaurant at Home”

We searched on Google Maps for a local restaurant that offered home delivery, and of course we found it. Our choice was for “Antica Osteria Righetto”. Not so far from home, with a very interesting menu, they activated “A casa tua” (in your house), a food delivery service with the instruction for completing the preparation at home.

Of course, you cannot deliver to an Italian pre-cooked pasta so, if you order the pasta sauce, you will have to cook the pasta by yourself. This will never be an issue for an Italian

We pre-ordered one day in advance, and delivery was perfectly on time. Five minutes before arriving the restaurant called to give us time to put on gloves and a mask.

We opened the paper bag (great, environment friendly), to find everything ready, instructions included.

The preparation was extremely simple, and in a few minutes everything was ready.

In the collages, I wanted to highlight the three steps needed, from the bag to your table, with the use of your oven (or the microwave) to heat the dishes.

The meat was delivered cooked and vacuum packed to preserve the flavor of the cooking.

They deserved five stars, and a good review. We repeated already the experience twice with them. Now more restaurants are offering home delivery, so we will try soon something from another restaurant.

Note: no, they don’t deliver cocktails. The Aperol spritz, of course, was home made

What about you? Have you used the home delivery service provided by the restaurants? Was it easy to find?

Have you updated the status of some restaurant?

Yes, I did

Please read: Which small businesses are you supporting right now? by @KatieMcBroom to discover how many way we have to support a Local Business.

Oh, Buon Appetito, of course

[KarenVChin]

@ErmesT — we did takeout (take

away) three times since we have been home for the past 8 weeks.

Hubby went through the drive thru at our local In-N-Out to get burgers and fries.

For some reason these burgers were better tasting than usual. Maybe because we haven’t been out and eating at a restaurant.

The other two times was pizza . Hubby went out to get pizza while he was shopping at our local Costco.

No pizza photos to show since we ate it quickly.

We usually order a cheese pizza to go. Once the pizza is home, we add fresh spinach leaves and salami slices on top. Don’t judge me @LuigiZ @Giuseppe75 Ermes!

During this time, I have friends who have ordered meals and had them delivered to their homes using Doordash or UberEats as the delivery service for restaurants from what I have seen on their social media channels. Mostly, they ordered from restaurant menus. So no actual cooking. More like either eating from the take out containers or plate it like you did.

There is BlueApron.com that you can get a meal kit shipped to you. You get the ingredients, spices, sauces and the recipe for 2, 4, etc. You then have to cook the meal yourself. Again, I have friends who have done this pre-coronavirus and liked it.

Cheers,

Karen

[ErmesT]

Take out was made possible in Italy just a few days ago, @KarenVChin , so the only available option was home delivery.

However it still funny, and you can have a gourmet food at a very good price.

I didn’t mentioned pizza in my post because we are used to have pizza delivery, but yes we had pizza at least three times.

There is nothing bad on topping pizza at home, I do this myself several times.

I am curious about receiving all the ingredients and cook at home. I will have to see if the service is available here too. It should be funny

[FaridTDF]

En general en Rio Grande las empresas que hacían entrega a domicilio siguen siendo las mismas, @ErmesT , como puede ser donde pido mi pizza preferida, “Pizza Luna“ o mi lomito preferido “el Roca”, o mi lomito italiano que lleva palta con lomito. Pero en general, los restaurantes que tenemos por aquí no se si se reconvirtieron con esta cuarentena. Lo que si puedo decir, es que sigo comprando la pasta que me gusta como son los Sorrentinos de “Pastas Mary” y la salsa la realizamos en casa.

Pero una cosa que siempre hay en los restaurantes y que por suerte lo podemos hacer muy fácilmente en casa son las milanesas a la napolitana, aunque se que no es un un plato italiano.

Creo que la reconversion de los restaurantes llegará lleva tiempo que comprendan que el mundo es otro yes diferente.

[AntonellaGr]

I can confirm @ErmesT , the food was absolutely great! And home made spritz too!

Anto

[LuigiZ]

Hi @ermest,

thank you for tagging me ?. Food delivery is indeed something very exceptional for local businesses in this period, and besides meeting (and sharing a meal) virtually this is something very beneficial for them … and somehow also for us missing a good meal outside.

I also agree with you that this is a very good way to support them, at least as far as the situation will not become again normal. They are doing their best to provide delivery, and recently also pickup, to start working slowly again … of course with very low volume compared to full capacity of before.

We also used the delivery service for a local restaurant to have a dinner with some sandwiches (this restaurant is specialized for them), good way to eat something different and support them. The sandwiches were delicious and we got also some free biscuits in the package.

@KarenVChin no worries, I won’t judge you … I’m just trying to imagine a cheese pizza with fresh spinach leaves and salami on it, I still prefer my salsiccia e friarielli ?. My favorite Neapolitan pizzeria also just re-open for take out (they didn’t open with delivery service) so I supported them directly too ?.

[ErmesT]

I see @FaridTDF

We love to buy “fresh made pasta” too, especially if it is “stuffed pasta”, but in this case we don’t usually replicate a restaurant dish.

Oh, and we really made fresh pasta at home.

From a restaurant I am expecting a food that I don’t usually make at home, that is for me the first target to search, when we travel, to explore “local dishes”.

In Italy this is extremely important, because the “Italian food” is made by thousands variations of dishes that are specifically related to some small area.

You should check some post written by @Sillaepepe , as she’s very focused on “Local Food”.

But the other, not less important reason for me to go to a restaurant, is the social aspect, that still uncovered.

We can meet with the friends virtually, and this help, but I find amazing the possibility to “bring your restaurant at home”

[ErmesT]

Thank you for the home made spritz, @AntonellaGr

Spritz was the easiest part.

But I forgot to mention the biscuits, delivered together with our lunch, hand made by the restaurant.

[ErmesT]

OMG, your pizza looks amazing @LuigiZ and your sandwiches too, even if I am more for “regular” restaurant than fro sandwiches (probably is a matter of age, @AntonellaGr )

Nice that they gave the free biscuits in the package, like it happened to us. It is a nice surprise to open the package and to find something unsuspected.

I didn’t mentioned the pizza in my post because, as you said, this is a service that was active also before the lock-down, and we were used to order our pizza from Regina Margherita

[LuigiZ]

Yes that pizza was super good @ErmesT , it was a surprise made for me by the owner as soon as I directly booked my take out the first day of re-opening, with the 3 flavors he knows I like most, not existing on the menu card.

I didn’t try yet a traditional meal but I have friends of mine I know they did, we went on the sandwiches for easier handling with kids as well hehe and the service is very well organized by Contantoamore.

Unfortunately I cannot review this special service since they have my first review when they opened here in Lucca, unless I modify that review, did you find this as well? This was a topic I’ve discussed with the team at last Connect Live … hopefully there might be something taken in consideration to improve this.

[ErmesT]

Yes, @LuigiZ

It was the same for me regarding Regina Margherita

My review is probably the first review they had when they opened, and I am reluctant to make an edit.

But of course I verified the availability of the “delivery service” available on Google Maps, as in the past they only provided take away service

[Ewaade_3A]

Wow! this was so informative! i loved when you said; “help them work”

We really do not consider that our ‘abstinence’ is taking its toll on some other people’s livelihood!

The issue with me is; “I love to see my food”. It will be difficult for me to have food delivered to me at home.

The most I have done is order for room service in a Hotel. I love to see

• where my food was cooked
• what the personnel looked like
• how it was handled

@ErmesT

[ErmesT]

I love to see my food too, @Ewaade_3A , that’s why I am supporting “Local” businesses.

Places where they produce, and deliver, food. Restaurants where I was used to go, and now cannot work due to the pandemic. I know exactly from where my food is coming from, I am not going to pick something if I don’t know the place, but of course my feeling is that really we need to keep them work.

On a safe way, following all the rules, but we need to help.

Is not just “self gratification”, it is a way to keep them opens. Otherwise, tomorrow we will not have a place where to buy a pizza

[Ewaade_3A]

Yes! because often times, we are so used to seeing these places around, that we feel like they will always be there… @ErmesT

[Giu_DiB]

Hi @ErmesT ,

This is a great initiative, thanks for sharing it with us! I also noticed in the last days that some restaurants have introduced this cool idea of delivering ingredients to be easily prepared at home. A very innovative solution that will allow us to support our favorite restaurants while saving some money too. A perfect win/win! I will share this idea with my friends who own restaurants and hopefully this will be helpful.

[ErmesT]

Love the idea of receiving the ingredients to prepare your Gourmet food at home, @Giu_DiB

@KarenVChin was writing about this service in United States on her reply, but I did not know that the service was also available in Italy. It can be an interesting idea for a lot of businesses who wants to improve.

In any case, I like the actual solution of cooking only your pasta (al dente, of course) and to have all the rest of the dinner prepared by the restaurants

When they delivered my food, few days ago, I spent 5 minutes listening the business owner. He explained to me how they are planning to improve their website, to give to the customer the possibility to better prepare the order. They plan to add videos showing the preparation of the dish, for a more immersive experience, and to let you enter “inside the kitchen” , @Ewaade_3A

[Ewaade_3A]

Ermes! You always get me!

Really, I don’t mind someone cooking for me.

This Paranoia came from ‘Studying Microbiology’. You see a product that looks absolutely great, only to do the culture and see 'live strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococci and Escherichia

If you watch me cook, You will send me out of your kitchen, I will use up your ‘water bill’ for a month on just a meal!

@ErmesT

[ErmesT]

This if funny @Ewaade_3A , but probably is an experience that can change depending of the place, and I am ordering food from restaurants where I was already a customer.

BTW, how did you managed to get your burger on Atlanta airport?

Atlanta is one of the place I consider “home”, and the airport in the past had a place where to drink an excellent Italian espresso. I was happy to drive every Sunday for one and a half hour to reach the gate E, where the bar was located

[Ewaade_3A]

I did not get

Settled for something else, @ErmesT

[ErmesT]

Oh yes, now I remember… it was only for lunch @Ewaade_3A

In any case, my feeling is that we need to help them, in the best way we can