These are conflicting times for the F&B industry. On the one hand, PM Narendra Modi announced on Thursday that food delivery falls under the list of essential services, meaning it won't be affected at present. Then, on Friday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered a near-complete lockdown of the state, with only a few services being allowed to function. So, in a situation where supplies are critically low and APMC markets are largely shut, how will eateries ensure their delivery systems operate smoothly? The short answer is, no one's sure yet.

"We don't know what exactly is going to happen because no one has been given any concrete orders yet about where they stand and what exactly the rules are," said Chad Wayne, co-owner of Nomada, a restaurant in Andheri West, adding, "We have supplies stocked up for the next week, but even the vegetable and meat suppliers aren't sure about how long they will remain active. So right now, we are just trying to figure things out."