Restaurants Expand Into Grocery To Mitigate Coronavirus Impact

Amid social distancing and stay-at-home orders meant to decelerate the spread of the coronavirus, many restaurants have been forced to shutter, while it has put others in a position where they are just getting by. To help mitigate losses, some U.S. restaurants are tapping into grocery sales. the Associated Press reported.

The Gandy Dancer, a popular Michigan eatery, now also serves as a grocery store, providing essentials like bread and milk as well as fish and meat from its own supply. Since starting the sales two weeks prior, the restaurant has reportedly come up with an income source to mitigate some of its lost business from dine-in customers.

Also, Subway is providing groceries at 250 locations in Oregon, Connecticut, California, Washington and Tennessee. Moreover, franchises of Potbelly Sandwich Shops have rolled out Potbelly Pantry, which primarily provides foods that the restaurants use to create sandwiches like breads, cheeses and meats.

While some restaurants are offering items that are already in their inventory, like cheese, meats and milk, othes offer a more extensive supply. One St. Louis establishment, for its part, has started to provide locally made products like meats, eggs, jams and milk.

In separate news, Panera Bread entered the grocery business earlier this month. The service was to provide “high-demand” products such as bread, milk and fresh produce beyond the typical menu fare of salads, sandwiches or soups. Given the chain’s expansive number of locations and advertising cloud, it could capture some market share from the coronavirus-fueled market.

Niren Chaudhary, Panera CEO, said in a statement at the time, “With this new service, we can help deliver good food and fresh ingredients from our pantry to yours, helping to provide better access to essential items that are increasingly harder to come by.”