Cooks face flaming hot oil, Katana-sharp knives, and slippery floors. Servers deal with finicky eaters, rude ladies named Karen, and low wages. Now, all restaurant workers are dealing with a new set of problems brought on by COVID-19. The pandemic shuttered many eateries. It forced those still open to switch totally to delivery and take-out.
Despite such calamitous circumstances, cooks are still in the kitchen. In some cases, they are dishing out free meals for those in need, even if they aren’t open for business. These hash slingers are volunteering to feed health care workers, first responders and anyone else who is hungry. Here are 10 stories of such restaurants and cooks, also known as heroes who wear aprons instead of capes.
Join Evolve Media’s #WeSayThanks campaign to show support to essential workers and thank them for their selfless acts of kindness and heroism. Please visit Evolve or more information.
Cover Photo: Sir Francis Canker Photography (Getty Images)
It ain’t all bad: 10 Good News Stories in the Spirit of John Krasinski’s ‘Some Good News’
More good news: Man Uses Bucket Truck to Visit Mom, Best Kind of Mama’s Boy
Help Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus
Visit the Centers for Disease Control at CDC.gov or the World Health Organization at Who.int for the latest information on the coronavirus and learn what you can do to stop the spread.
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
10 Stories of Local Restaurants Feeding People for Free
-
You Can Get Anything You Want at Alice’s Restaurant
Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside, California, raised $1,000 to fund free food for workers who’ve lost their job and those still working to save lives. Palo Alto Online reported that other local joints like Bavri, Bird Dog and the Bay Watch Restaurant are all also pitching in.
-
Biscuit Head Biltmore and Others in Asheville Feeding Kids
With schools shut to halt the spread of COVID-19, kids who depend on free school meals are in a bind. In Asheville, North Carolina, a number of restaurants like Biscuit Head Biltmore have mobilized to offer free food to kids, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times.
-
Lost Pizza Co. and 7 Other Restaurants in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Lost Pizza Co. and seven other restaurants in Jonesboro, Arkansas, banded together to feed those in need, according to local ABC-affiliate KAIT8 News. Not only is the community dealing with COVID-19, but also the devastation caused by a tornado on March 28.
-
Restaurants Get Wicked Generous in Massachusetts
No lying, but Pinocchio’s Pizza and a bunch of other eateries in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are coming together to feed the homeless as part of a partnership with the city’s government. The city announced the program on March 20, which offers free boxed or bagged meals for those down on their luck.
-
Medium Rare Remembers to Respect it Elders
Medium Rare Restaurant in Washington DC announced on Twitter last month that it’s delivering free meals to those who are over 70. The meals aren’t anything to sneeze at either, with culotte steak cooked medium rare on the menu, plus fries, salad, bread and even a dessert.
-
Chowgirls Killer Catering Comes to the Rescue
Chowgirls Killer Catering rallied Minneapolis restaurants into a partnership with a food bank to set up the Minnesota Central Kitchen. Civil Eats — an online news source exploring the American food system — wrote about how the MCK has been distributing up to 10,000 free meals a week.
-
NakedQ in Arizona
NakedQ runs three BBQs in and around Phoenix, and yes, its chefs are fully clothed. Though one of the locations is temporarily shut, the others are not only open, but pumping out thousands of free meals for healthcare workers and anyone else who is hungry.
-
Lack of Sports Ain’t Stoppin’ This Sports Bar
Blake Street Tavern is a popular sports bar in Denver, Colorado, that specializes in slinging steaming hot bowls of green chile. Though the balls have stopped bouncing, the Tavern is continuing to sling chile, offering free quarts to first responders and hospital workers, according to the Denver WestWord.
-
Keeping Hospital Workers Fed in Richmond, Virginia
Saving lives while wearing a face mask all day sure does work up an appetite. That’s why Marco’s Pizza in Richmond, Virginia, is slinging free pies to places like St. Mary’s Hospital, according to the company’s Facebook page.
-
The World’s Central Kitchen Is Open
Celebrity chef José Andrés founded the World Central Kitchen in 2010 to feed folks after natural disasters. Its relief teams are partnering with restaurants to serve 100,000 meals a day across the country, from New York to Los Angeles and many other places.
