Five tips to transport takeaway food home safely by car

The increase in takeaway orders also means an increase in the number of food-related car disasters. So how can you ensure your takeaway and car’s safety?

If you have ever felt the pain of dropping your freshly collected takeaway meal all over the floor of your car or worse, on the cold unforgiving pavement, you know that there are procedures that should really be followed to ensure it all gets home successfully. We’ve put together some vital advice on the matter because this could make the difference between a good night in and a very, very bad night in.

This tip is mainly for the local fast-food drive-thru but can be applied anywhere in life, it is common sense after all. Remember, it’s called fast food so the quicker you can move through the drive-thru from order speaker, through to payment window and finally food pickup, the better.

By knowing what you plan on ordering means you can prep any necessary space for cups, the prized bag of food and most importantly, the coin (or card) to pay for it. We’ve seen some of your cars, and wowzers, how do you even find the steering wheel?!

There is honestly nothing more frustrating in a drive-thru then waiting behind someone who has just made a poor driving decision. Common driving mistakes include; cutting a corner and mounting the hard gutters, being too far away from the window to collect the order, driving off forgetting the food entirely.

First off, unless you’re Inspector Gadget and have a set of extendable arms, make sure you’re close enough to the window without knocking your wing-mirror off. If you need to reverse in a drive-thru, you’re obviously not worthy so just drive off home.

It’s not just at a drive-thru where your car’s position is important. If you are picking up your food from the local takeaway or restaurant, park in a spot which is not too far from the door, and where you have enough space to open the driver or passenger door wide. This transfer of food from outside to in-car is prime catastrophe territory. Roadside parallel parking is a good place to park or opt for a spot with nothing beside it.

Nobody likes to eat cold takeaway (unless it’s pizza the next day but that’s a different story) so do whatever you can to keep your food as warm and steamy as possible. You generally have to wait a little before collecting your meal so why not chuck on your seat warmers (great for pizza, just watch the oil seep) to slow the cooling process. Picking up Thai from your local? Why not put the heater on the footwell setting to get it warm and toasty. Yes, these heating options may be encouraging the food smells to linger, but who doesn’t love the smell of roast chook?

Also if you have cup holders and they are currently full of non-cup items, clear them out.

You’ve collected your food and you’re pretty happy with yourself but the task isn’t over just yet! Be smart because a rogue laksa spilling on your passenger’s lap or on the seat isn’t fun to clean up. No need to hit the apex or drag race the Nanna in the Impreza at the traffic lights tonight.

A good tip for collecting liquid-based meals is to bring along some extra plastic bags. Double-bagging your meal will ensure no surprise spills or breaks that could see your food all over the floor. If you feel the need to buckle-up your fast food, do it. We won’t judge.

You’ve made it home and are parked safely so you can relax, right? WRONG! While many companies say that they’ll “Drop delicious meals right at your doorstep”, the one thing you don’t want to do as a DIY Deliveroo is to actually drop your recently collected delicious meal at your doorstep. This is the home stretch, you can see the finish line so don’t stuff it up.

Go ahead and open your front door first or have a housemate or family member do it for you. Grab the bag of food from the top with one hand and place your other on the bottom, so nothing can slip through your fingers. If you need to take a few extra trips to complete a safe delivery do so, these aren’t groceries which you can grab as many as your arms can physically hold without snapping.

Then straight to the dining table ready to devour. Congratulations, you’ve made it!

This article goes out to all those broken burgers, forgotten fries, spilled soups and wayward wicked wings. May these tips help you travel from your kitchen to ours in peace.

Related: KFC has opened a world-first drive-thru in Australia and the future is well and truly here

Related: Weird and wonderful drive-thrus from around the world

Related: Five things to know about transporting plants in the car