The COVID-19 crisis has dealt some heavy blows to St. Louis business owners, but we continue to be inspired by those who have rolled with the punches. T&S spoke with two local food purveyors to find out how they are fortifying the bottom line in trying times.
an olive ovation
Owner Marianne Prey says that as a food seller, she was deemed an essential business and allowed to stay open during the COVID-19 shutdown. Still, she faced challenges and needed to get creative to keep customers engaged.
Her Ladue shop, which sells olives, olive oils, wine and other specialty products, has been offering fresh produce as well. “People started telling me that they were cooking at home more, and if I would just start carrying vegetables, it would save them a trip to the grocery store,” Prey says. “I found a wholesale produce distributor, placed an order for a relatively small amount and sold out in one day. I started with items like spring salad greens, tomatoes and cucumbers, all of which proved popular.”
To mix things up a bit, she also has stocked unusual products like golden beets, celery root, Chinese broccoli, watermelon radishes and pattypan squash. So far, everything has sold well, including local items like heirloom tomatoes and peppers from a Chesterfield farm. Prey says pasta also has increased in popularity because of its shelf life, so she is carrying more of it. “Some people are buying 6 to 8 pounds at a time,” she says. “They want to make fewer trips out, and that means choosing foods that won’t spoil.”
Customers can place an order online, then pick up their items on Fridays or have them shipped. There’s room for a few socially distanced individuals inside the store, or they can wait curbside. “My staff and I have kept very busy, packaging orders and sending them out,” Prey says. “The produce program really has carried us through.”
seoul taco
David Choi, chef and owner of the Korean-Mexican fast casual restaurant group, responded to the pandemic by offering grocery items and meal kits for those cooking at home. Customers can choose from items like tortillas, eggs and dairy products for pickup or delivery, and three meal kits are available: Gogi Bowl, Burrito Meal and Taco Meal, each serving up to four. Meats like chicken and beef are marinated in Seoul Taco’s sauces, and other Asian specialty items are on offer as well.
Choi says the grocery items proved popular this past spring, and the meal kits also were well received. “They were an easy way to diversify our menu offerings while simplifying ordering for customers,” he notes. “It’s important to be creative and face the realities of COVID-19 by finding new ways to pivot sustainably. Carryout and delivery will remain a focus for us in the years to come.”
He adds that he and his team are continuously reevaluating and adapting to the pandemic situation. “This isn’t a short-term thing; it’s a defining moment for a lot of small business owners,” he says. “They might have to take a hit and reinvest in their employees, but it will pay dividends. I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 10 years, and I think that is a success in itself.”
Photos courtesy of An Olive Ovation and Seoul Taco