(Yicai Global) April 6 -- As Shanghai’s nine-day lockdown is extended to battle a surge in Covid-19 cases, many restaurants are finding ways to make it easier for the city’s 26 million residents to have their favorite dishes delivered to their doors.

Yum China Holdings, which runs fast food chains such as Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s China, hot pot restaurant chains Xiabu Xiabu Catering Management and Haidilao International Holding are all doing their bit to help Shanghai, Yicai Global learned.

They have applied for the special status of ‘meeting people’s needs’ in order to stay open during lockdown, have introduced special menus and are organizing ‘group buying’ within residential communities to help out as some people experience difficulties in enough getting food and daily supplies.

Yum China’s KFC, Pizza Hut and Lavazza chains are offering ‘punctual delivery of bulk orders’ to the residential communities near their outlets. They have also expanded their menus to include afternoon tea and midnight snacks.

A resident in Lujiazui district surnamed Cui has been ordering the Shanghai-based company’s pizzas. She told Yicai Global that she considers Pizza Hut’s cold-chain logistics to be safe and the frozen foods can be stored longer than fresh produce.

McDonald’s has set up a special menu of six ‘combo meals’ that include its classic burgers, corn cups and pies, that can be ordered online. On the first day of lockdown on March 28, McDonald's delivered almost 7,000 set meals to residents in Pudong district.

Xiabu Xiabu has transported 200 tons of lamb from its factory in the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Shanghai, a company insider said. It has launched bulk-buy services to ensure its delicious meals can reach the dining tables of the city's residents.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor