Food delivery workers still on the streets despite snowstorm

NEW YORK - So many of us wait anxiously for our food to arrive after we place an order for delivery. But how often do you stop to really think about how that food got to you or the struggles delivery workers face?

“If you’re brave enough to work in the bad weather, layer up. None of the bulky stuff, just layer. It helps a lot,” said Gerardo Angulo.

Angulo, who works for the independent courier service, Relay, tells us firsthand about the challenges of delivering food during a storm on his bike. Beforehand, he maps out longer routes to avoid windy areas along the water and narrow roads. At Kissaki restaurant on the Lower East Side, where Gerardo is picking up an order, owner Garry Kanfer is offering hot tea or hot matcha to all his couriers.

“Some of their deliveries, people don’t realize are about 3 to 4 miles away so they might pick up the food on the Lower East Side and for example get to the Upper East Side, and today that is definitely going to be a hard bike ride for them,” said Kanfer.

Nuhma Tuazon, who transitioned her Long Island City catering businesses into individual and small family meals, expects 30 to 40 minute delays in delivery during the storm.

“My delivery guy, he has to drop off stuff, make sure he is also safe, make sure he doesn’t leave anything behind and then he comes home safe also,” said Tuazon.

As for Angulo, he says he’s a skilled biker, and he’s counting on those skills during the storm.

“I’m a little nervous right now, especially this year with all this outdoor dining and stuff from the restaurants. The streets are really narrow. so between car traffic and our traffic and slick floors it’s going to be a little difficult tonight,” said Angulo.

The common expression: preparing for the worst and hoping for the best— never more true.