With coronavirus restrictions in place, Whatcom restaurants turn to grocery delivery
During this coronavirus shutdown, some Whatcom County companies are carving out a new way to keep operating by getting into something that’s very much in demand: Grocery delivery.
This is particularly true with restaurants, who continue to have regular access to grocery products in order to maintain to-go services during the coronavirus pandemic. During this period of restrictions that has devastated the industry, delivery has created a much-needed option to make some money and keep some of the workers employed. For customers, it’s an attractive options for those who want grocery delivery but are experiencing delays with the more traditional outlets.
It’s also served as a way to gain some new customers. The Italian restaurant Lombardi’s on Bellwether Way has offered grocery packs that have a variety of essentials, including milk, eggs and vegetables. It also offers items that pop up regularly on their menu, like ground Waygu beef, pasta and top sirloin steaks. Customers can swing by to pick up the grocery packs, or have it delivered.
About 80% of the weekly orders are from regular customers, which means they are getting a steady increase in orders from new customers, said Kerri Lonergan-Dreke, vice president of Lombardi’s Italian Restaurants & Catering. The company also has restaurants in the Seattle area, but the Bellingham location has been the busiest for grocery delivery.
She said gaining new customers is crucial as the restaurant is relatively new to the Bellingham dining scene. The company opened at the former Giuseppe’s spot last September, only six months before the restaurant restrictions took effect.
Latitude Kitchen & Bar, in the Sunset Square retail center near Starbucks, is also offering groceries. The restaurant is delivering produce, meats and seafood in Bellingham and around Whatcom County on certain days of the week, said co-owner Antonia Holmes.
Holmes said it’s a way for them to help those in tough situations. Her mother, who lives in Canada, was diagnosed with cancer the week restrictions started being put in place and Holmes can’t deliver groceries to her, so she’s hoping this will help others.
Since starting the grocery delivery program on Saturday, March 28, Holmes said she has met several people in situations similar to hers.
One example Holmes gave was a woman picking up groceries for her son who has cancer. His doctor told him not to come into contact with anyone so his mom picks up his food at Latitude and leaves it on his doorstep.
“There are more families that are apart than people realize, just like me. Our senior community needs help and they don’t always ask for it and probably don’t know its available,” Holmes said in an email.
The list of grocery items is on Latitude’s website, but they can also consider special requests.
Convenience stores also doing delivery
Convenience stores are also getting into the delivery business. Although it’s known for its specialty craft beers, Elizabeth Station also offers to deliver groceries such as ice cream, snacks and milk in Bellingham, said owner Patrick McEvoy, who opened the neighborhood store eight years ago.
Beer, particularly local ales, has been the most requested delivery item, McEvoy said.
“I think people like that they can support local while buying some of a lot of breweries at once,” McEvoy said in an email, noting they are trying to keep all possible local beers in stock.
Possibly as a result of cabin fever, McEvoy said, he has also noticed more customers going for wild flavors.
“It’s not so much ‘lager,’ ‘amber,’ ‘scotch’ that people are searching for, but much more so ‘blood orange,’ ‘vanilla,’ ‘mango,’ ‘passionfruit’ and the like. It’s pretty fun,” McEvoy said.
Although it’s a store that carries groceries, Elizabeth Station opted to convert to a delivery/to-go business because it was very much a neighborhood hangout and wanted to do its part to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“There are stores similar to ours in other cities that have stayed open for shopping, but we realized that it wouldn’t work here,” McEvoy said, noting that while they cherish the reputation of being a neighborhood hangout, that’s not what is needed right now.
New delivery service focuses on local products
When Serena Auriemma and Christopher Locke launched the grocery delivery portion of their business, Seasoned Harvest, in January, they had no idea what it would turn into months later. The delivery service was originally started to give people in Whatcom and Skagit counties easier access to a wide range of local products.
Along with food staples of dairy, bread and meat, the company offers locally made home and health care products such as soap and lip balm.
Companies they work with include BreadFarm, Nooksack Blueberries, Bellewood Farms and Maniac Coffee Roasting.
They had planned a marketing roll out with promotional events in March before the coronavirus restrictions took hold. Instead, they’ve been getting creative through social media, Auriemma Locke said, and with local businesses trying to get product out to the public, they’re regularly getting new listings.
“With everyone scrambling to support the local economy and businesses closing, it hasn’t been easy, but we are prepared to help,” Auriemma Locke said in an email.
This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
