Food’s Here owner Mitchell Bethea started preparing for an increased need for food deliveries two weeks ago.
“I have hired a bunch of people in preparation for this,” he said. "I saw the writing on the wall, especially as New York [City] and Los Angeles started closing down.”
Food’s Here is a food-delivery service similar to GrubHub or UberEats serving the Tomball and Magnolia communities.
Bethea said he has been in contact with as many restaurants as possible recently to help out with dine-in restrictions put in place. Harris County officials announced new restrictions for bars and restaurants within the county March 16, effective March 17 for 15 days, requiring restaurants to only offer takeout and bars to close. Montgomery County followed March 17 limiting restaurants to a total occupancy of 50 people at any time through April 1.
“I have been in contact with most of the restaurants in Tomball, trying to figure out what makes sense,” Bethea said. “While we will probably be busier from this, I know it is going to directly affect a lot of them.”
Bethea said people have also reached out to him to make sure that Food’s Here stays open.
“People are just asking us if we are going to stay open, because obviously delivery is going to take over right now,” he said.
To ensure drivers stay healthy, Bethea said that each one will be wearing gloves as of March 17.
Of the businesses Bethea has spoken to, he said none have closed yet.
“General feeling right now is that people are going to fight through this,” he said. “[They will] try and continue doing takeout only.”
However, some businesses are monitoring the situation for the next couple of days before making a decision on whether to close, Bethea said. He also said some businesses have resorted to turning some of their employees into delivery drivers so they can keep employed.
Food’s Here plans to remain open for as long as it is safe for everyone involved, Bethea said.
“Unless Harris County shuts down everything and everyone has to quarantine themselves, we are going to stay open,” he said.
Learn more about Food's Here by calling 832-972-7221 or visiting the business's Facebook page.
