Save
A Safe Food Delivery Proposal in Naples and Campania
“Our proposal is to use a food foil or a paper bag to further protect the packaging, because the containers we use are already compliant. Even supermarkets deliver with normal bags, our idea is basically to use a container that can contain others, "explains Di Porzio.
"The pizza we prepare is not dangerous: in the oven, it cooks at 450 degrees, so it is very safe, and it is immediately placed in the standard box, wrapped in standard film, then given to riders for delivery - riders who have delivered supermarket goods non stop these days. Why should hot food be considered risky? Pizza or a plate of pasta would keep more people at home, who could avoid going out several times a day to go shopping, or face long queues at supermarkets, "adds Gino Sorbillo.
Meanwhile, a few glimpses of openings can be seen on the horizon: two important dates for pizza makers and restaurateurs from Campania are approaching. "In the Region, on Saturday 18 April they asked us to present proposals on safety, in anticipation of 'phase 2', while next week we plan to have a meeting with the trade associations," says Di Porzio. He continues: “Obviously there are safety pre-requisites such as measuring staff temperature before work, sanitizing environments, using gloves and masks for everyone, sanitizing hands before starting work: the in fact, most of these actions, even before we did them, we will add the use of personal protective equipment ”.
“The responsibility for choosing what the security provisions will be will lie with the authorities. I would not just like to opt for procedures that will not allow small entrepreneurs to work because they are too expensive: we must do something compatible with the operations of companies. We want these measures to become the subject of a protocol," concludes Di Porzio.
Who would be entrusted with home delivery? "Now there are many companies that already operate in food delivery, but have somewhat high margins: we are checking the possibility of making agreements, of reducing costs a little, or of creating consortia to be able to do it in your own, in a way to use the redundant staff, even if this hypothesis is a little complicated. In the first phase we will ask for an agreement, hoping that they will grant it, we will try to put pressure on food delivery companies, so that deliveries are made safely, we will ask for guarantees regarding the application of these measures," replies Di Porzio.
What Does Phase Two Look Like?
"Phase 2" of the Campania pizzerias, between hypotheses and difficulties the situation is not easy, as you can imagine. "We estimate a loss of around € 1 billion for the whole sector in this closed period," says Di Porzio. “A very difficult period awaits us, even if we reopen we will have difficulties. We will have to roll up our sleeves and not think about what has been lost. Many businesses, with the increase in tourism, had also started a second store: it will be very difficult to start again, but I think we will recover from here to 2021," he continues.
"We are asking for a lighter opening, with two staff members for each oven, in addition to the pizza maker: our premises also have a social value, pizza is a food that feeds and, precisely for this reason, we would like to reactivate our ovens, to prepare only Margherita and Marinara: it is important for us, to begin to understand how to start again, to take the measurements, to see if the systems still work ”, comments Sorbillo. "We have not been given the opportunity to consume the goods, even to make bread and give products, everything will have expired in a few weeks: for us, it's better to open now, instead of reopening in weeks and weeks. Without tourism, perhaps with non-functioning systems, it would be a truly apocalyptic scenario."
The pizza maker, who has premises not only in Naples, but also in other cities of Italy (such as Milan and Rome, where delivery is active, as well as cities abroad like Miami, New York and Tokyo), gives us a very clear vision of the economic scenario of his business. “Soon delivery will start again in Genoa, but I will be forced to close four of my premises, there are 270 people working in my group, and more than two-thirds have families. How can I do it? We will all find ourselves, defaulters, in the rent of our premises.
"Is delivery working?" On average we deliver 40-50 pizzas a day in Milan and Rome, at the weekend we reach 80-100, but we must consider that we give a percentage ranging from 10 % to 30% for the delivery service: delivery does not save our lives, it does not solve problems, but it is a way of giving us some breathing space", he replies.
What will happen in 'phase 2'? "The management of the bathrooms and the hall will be difficult, we will make shifts: we will open the pizzerias from 11 to 23 to give customers the opportunity to spread themselves throughout the day, we will go from 160 seats to 40.
But there are too many questions to which we still cannot answer, "Sorbillo concludes.
