Curfew Safety: Protecting Delivery Drivers During Nighttime Restrictions

Big national stories always become local somehow. Protests have surged across the United States and around the world in response to the police killing of an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis last week. More than three dozen cities have issued curfew hours; except for essential workers, citizens are expected to be stay home, or at least stay off the streets.

The times when cities "close down" for the nights vary; New York, for instance, has just moved its curfew from 11 p.m. to 8 p.m. through June 7. As Buzzfeed News points out, though, food delivery apps are still open for business. Whether you're stressed out or you truly can't get to a grocery store, ordering takeout might sound tempting. We all want to support our favorite local businesses, but it might be more important to consider all your options first.

Rather than put a delivery worker at risk of harassment or worse for being outside after curfew, plan ahead. If you don't want to cook, try ordering lunch instead and stretching the leftovers — or simply order more entrees to spread out over your next few meals. Furthermore, if you can pick up the meal yourself, see if you can factor that in.

Also keep in mind that if you're used to ordering through delivery apps like Grubhub or Uber Eats, a restaurant benefits a lot more from your direct call to order in. The person delivering your meals would also likely appreciate a cash tip, given the vagaries of apps and credit card add-ons. Mostly, however, it's time to admit that you're never going to tip enough to justify courting trouble with law enforcement.