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As the novel coronavirus outbreak has impacted many of the retailers across the United States, fast-food chains are doing everything they can to keep their customers as safe as possible. Many chains have had to shutter their dining rooms in response to stay-at-home orders in 45 states and counting, per The New York Times, in an attempt to prevent COVID-19 from further spreading among communities. But most are pivoting to pick-up and delivery operations — and some are offering new services altogether, including groceries for customers who are having trouble securing staples at their local supermarket.

The majority of big fast food chains are planning to stay open, many with temporary operational changes as states extend social distancing measures. Picking up take-out is certainly an option, even if the store doesn't have a drive-thru window. Some chains may also have introduced new delivery options or lifted delivery fees altogether to allow people to safely stay home. All of the 20 plus restaurants on this list are offering free delivery for customers, including contactless delivery, which means you can simply have your meal dropped on your doorstep.

To be clear, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that the coronavirus is spread from person to person, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or speaks rapidly in close proximity to someone else. To date, the CDC hasn't reported any cases where patients contracted COVID-19 by eating food, and the risk associated with handling delivery materials (the bags and boxes the food is delivered in) is much lower compared to actually getting face-to-face with delivery personnel or the employees in a fast-food chain. That said, it's crucial to do what feels right for you.

It's also important to note that officials in as many as 30 states (including Illinois, Connecticut, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Maryland, Michigan, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington, among others) have temporarily shut down restaurants and bars, allowing only takeout and delivery service, to slow the spread of the virus. Given the rapidly changing pace of the COVID-19 outbreak, it's best to call ahead to your fast-food store to get the most up-to-date info on closings, hour changes, and more.

Here are some of the fast food restaurants we've confirmed are still operating in most locations (Note: This list is subject to change):

Subway

Starbucks



McDonald's



Dunkin

Pizza Hut

Taco Bell

Burger King

Wendy’s

Domino's

Panera



Dairy Queen

Little Caesars

Sonic

Papa John's

Arby's

Jimmy John's

Baskin-Robbins

Jack in the Box

Panda Express

Auntie Anne's



Qdoba

Hardee's

Jersey Mike's

Quiznos



Papa Murphy's

California Pizza Kitchen



Five Guys

In-N-Out Burger



Checkers and Rally's



Whataburger

Wingstop

Carl's Jr.

Firehouse Subs

Church’s Chicken

Pollo Tropical



Del Taco



Raising Cane's



Culver's



Shake Shack



Smashburger



Here are some of the fast-food restaurants that are operating with changes or closing some locations:

Chick-fil-A: Restaurants nationwide will temporarily close dining room seating. Customers can still purchase items by utilizing the restaurants’ drive-thrus, takeout, delivery, or mobile order options.

Restaurants nationwide will temporarily close dining room seating. Customers can still purchase items by utilizing the restaurants’ drive-thrus, takeout, delivery, or mobile order options. Starbucks: The coffee store chain will take away seating at all stores nationwide and close some locations in high-social areas, such as college campuses and shopping malls. Customers can now only order via drive-thru and delivery options. The company also said it would be temporarily closing stores or reducing hours in select cities.

The coffee store chain will take away seating at all stores nationwide and close some locations in high-social areas, such as college campuses and shopping malls. Customers can now only order via drive-thru and delivery options. The company also said it would be temporarily closing stores or reducing hours in select cities. Chipotle: Chipotle has expanded its delivery offerings with the help of Uber Eats, and has adopted tamper-proof seals on its food orders to make sure guests know their meal hasn't been touched during the delivery process.

Chipotle has expanded its delivery offerings with the help of Uber Eats, and has adopted tamper-proof seals on its food orders to make sure guests know their meal hasn't been touched during the delivery process. KFC: When you order through KFC.com, Seamless, or GrubHub, you'll get free delivery through April 26.

When you order through KFC.com, Seamless, or GrubHub, you'll get free delivery through April 26. McDonald's : The popular chain's seating and play areas will be closed for all U.S. restaurants starting March 17. The company declared that it would be focusing on "serving customers through drive-thru, walk-in takeout, and McDelivery."

: The popular chain's seating and play areas will be closed for all U.S. restaurants starting March 17. The company declared that it would be focusing on "serving customers through drive-thru, walk-in takeout, and McDelivery." MOD Pizza: Beginning March 17, stores will be eliminating in-store dining and moving to takeout, pickup, and delivery only. The pizza chain notes that you can still come into the store to order if you wish, but you will need to take your food and exit the location once it is prepared. Online orders will be waiting for customers near the front door at their new "Superfast Grab&Go" pickup spots. MOD is also only accepting credit card payments on phone orders, and will temporarily be open from 11:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Beginning March 17, stores will be eliminating in-store dining and moving to takeout, pickup, and delivery only. The pizza chain notes that you can still come into the store to order if you wish, but you will need to take your food and exit the location once it is prepared. Online orders will be waiting for customers near the front door at their new "Superfast Grab&Go" pickup spots. MOD is also only accepting credit card payments on phone orders, and will temporarily be open from 11:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Moe's Southwest Grill: Restaurants will be offering free delivery on all orders of $10 or more purchased through the Moe's app and Moes.com for the foreseeable future. The restaurants will make real-time decisions to close dining rooms and offer pick-up services as an alternative to delivery.

Restaurants will be offering free delivery on all orders of $10 or more purchased through the Moe's app and Moes.com for the foreseeable future. The restaurants will make real-time decisions to close dining rooms and offer pick-up services as an alternative to delivery. Noodles & Company: Starting March 17, restaurants will close every day at 8 p.m. and the chain will transition to delivery or carryout orders only (dining areas will not be open). Costumers can still use the website, Noodles Rewards app, or call to place orders. At some locations, a pickup window will allow guests to stay in their cars. Check what your restaurant is doing at Noodles.com/Locations.

Starting March 17, restaurants will close every day at 8 p.m. and the chain will transition to delivery or carryout orders only (dining areas will not be open). Costumers can still use the website, Noodles Rewards app, or call to place orders. At some locations, a pickup window will allow guests to stay in their cars. Check what your restaurant is doing at Noodles.com/Locations. Popeyes: Customers are now being offered free delivery through the Popeyes mobile app or when they order on Popeyes.com. When inputting your delivery address, you can ask the driver to drop off the food at your door, for a contactless delivery.

Customers are now being offered free delivery through the Popeyes mobile app or when they order on Popeyes.com. When inputting your delivery address, you can ask the driver to drop off the food at your door, for a contactless delivery. Qdoba : Effective March 19, Qdoba has made the decision to transition to limited-contact ordering. Dine-in services across all Qdoba locations will be suspended temporarily as the restaurant chain moves toward to-go orders only. Deliveries services in areas where offered will continue operating. Guests can order to go in restaurants where allowed by local/state mandate, as well as online at Qdoba.com or via the Qdoba app.

: Effective March 19, Qdoba has made the decision to transition to limited-contact ordering. Dine-in services across all Qdoba locations will be suspended temporarily as the restaurant chain moves toward to-go orders only. Deliveries services in areas where offered will continue operating. Guests can order to go in restaurants where allowed by local/state mandate, as well as online at Qdoba.com or via the Qdoba app. Taco Bell: Taco Bell will begin serving guests via drive-thru or delivery only "where necessary." Go to TacoBell.com/Locations to get more info on your go-to location.

These chains are selling groceries, too:

Because many restaurant chains are not experiencing the same amount of orders they normally do, some have pivoted to sell groceries to customers. These grocery offerings mostly consist of the raw ingredients and kitchen staples they use to make meals every day, but it may help at-risk shoppers who may feel adverse to entering supermarkets, or are having trouble getting groceries delivered, pick up fresh ingredients. Panera was one of the first chains to pivot to selling groceries in addition to their meals, according to the Associated Press.

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When you want to avoid the stores, we’re making it easier to stay at home. Now you can order your Panera favorites and groceries for pick-up or Contactless Delivery. We have the essentials like milk, a variety of breads, yogurt, and fresh produce. pic.twitter.com/1frrKmZTtN — Panera Bread (@panerabread) April 8, 2020

Here are some ways you can buy groceries from fast-food and fast-casual chains:

Panera: They've launched a new online service called Panera Grocery which provides items like milk, eggs and more dairy, fresh produce, as well as their classic baked goods. You can order via Panera's website or via Grubhub; it's delivered in the same way that meals are, or the groceries can be picked up at a participating café. Moe's Southwest Grill: The chain has introduced a Moe's Market service that allows customers to buy meal kits to create their own versions of Mexican-inspired favorites. You can also order staple ingredients used in Moe's dishes a la carte for delivery online. California Pizza Kitchen: In April, the pizza chain began selling meal kits packed with ingredients that can allow you to make their recipes at home. But the CPK Market also sells kits that are meant to just pad your kitchen with things like produce, meats, seafood, milk, beer, and wine. Subway: The sandwich chain is selling fresh groceries in more than 250 stores across California, Connecticut, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington, with potential plans to expand the service across more states, according to the AP. You should call your local Subway to see if pantry and deli items are available to you. Potbelly Sandwich Shop: If you like sandwiches, you might want to check out Potbelly, which launched Potbelly Pantry to help customers source ingredients to make subs at home. Mostly, the new pantry sells items like sliced deli meats, cheeses, breads, and light produce and condiments.

You may be able to find groceries outside of chain retailers, too. The Associated Press reports that local restaurants in cities across the nation have worked with providers like Sysco to modify their orders, securing a wider array of grocery staples to sell to their patrons. Buying groceries from restaurants and cafés may help local owners and staff as they face losses due to COVID-19 closings. Calling, emailing, or reaching out to your favorite restaurant via social media might reveal that they, too, are offering grocery delivery at this time.

More food delivery options:

Couriers are also doing their part to limit the chances of spreading the virus. Many national grocery delivery services have implemented contactless delivery options for customers — in other words, you can select to have your groceries left at the door so you don't have to interact with delivery personnel. Instacart is allowing its customers to take advantage of a new “Leave at My Door Delivery” feature, which lets you choose to have your groceries left outside the door at a designated time.

And meal delivery services are following suit: DoorDash is giving customers the ability to text a photo to the driver of where you'd like your food to be left, and customers who use GrubHub and UberEats can send digital messages and instructions to delivery drivers.

Right now, the CDC recommends distancing yourself from others as much as possible, especially if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. As of Sunday evening, the CDC urges that no gatherings with 50 people or more — including weddings, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, or conferences — be held in the U.S. for the next eight weeks.



For helpful resources regarding the coronavirus, visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Coronavirus Disease 2019 fact page and The National Association of County and City Health Officials' directory of local health departments.

*Additional reporting by Katie Bourque and Hannah Jeon.

Kayla Keegan News and Entertainment Editor Kayla Keegan covers all things in the entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity space for Good Housekeeping. Zee Krstic Associate Health Editor Zee Krstic is a health editor for GoodHousekeeping.com, where he covers the latest in health and nutrition news, decodes diet and fitness trends, and reviews the best products in the wellness aisle.

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