McDonald's launches contactless delivery in South and West India

Westlife Development, owner and operator of of McDonald's restaurants in west and southern India, on Monday said it has launched contactless delivery keeping in mind the coronavirus outbreak. McDonald's India is ensuring that food reaches customers without being touched by bare hands and delivered safe with adequate social distancing measures, Westlife Development said in a regulatory filing.

The company said it has provided riders with sanitizers to sanitise hands before and after each delivery and has instructed them to sanitise delivery bags every two hours of use.

All delivery bags for both McDelivery service and third-party delivery partner orders are sealed with tape and the bill is stuck on the back of every bag, it said adding that presenter, assembler, packer and runner use gloves while handling food and delivery packets.

Westlife Development Ltd focuses on putting up and operating Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) in India through its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd.

Commenting on steps taken, Hardcastle Restaurants Managing Director Smita Jatia said, "Our customers' safety has been and will continue to be our top priority. On one hand, we have doubled up the safety and hygiene processes at our restaurants and on the other, we are ensuring contactless delivery to uphold consumers' trust in McDonald's."

The company further said since the government is shutting malls and restaurants as a precautionary measure, McDonald's is expanding its delivery network to ensure its food is available to customers, both through its owned app and through third-party delivery partners. RKL HRS