As eateries resume, orders rise

Takeout orders of sweet food increased dramatically from Feb 17 to 21 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, as business and social activities began to return to normal in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to Ele.me, a leading online food delivery platform in China.

At the beginning of March, Ele.me released a report on its nationwide takeout data. With 60 percent of its small and medium-sized businesses resuming operations, takeout orders are up 100 percent from the previous month.

Last month, more than 80,000 food stalls started offering takeout services on the platform. Nearly 70 percent of the eateries were currently doing business, and 60 percent of those had revenues nearing or exceeding sales before Spring Festival, according to the report.

Since customers continued to be limited at brick-and-mortar stores, merchants are shifting their focus to online platforms, it said.

As of March 2, about 200,000 new stores had begun to operate through Ele.me, it said.