March 21 Section B

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The Leader • Saturday, March 21, 2020 • Page 1B

Gluttons for groceries Multiple local supermarkets scrambling to meet demand By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

Community Facebook groups have doubled as online grocery forums this month, with users providing frequent status reports about stores in Northwest Houston. They’re letting neighbors know about the length of lines and availability of products such as bottled water, fresh meat and produce, canned goods, frozen foods, hand soap and toilet paper. With people stocking up and staying home amidst concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the upper-respiratory disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus, grocery stores all around the area have been slammed and struggling to keep up with demand. Residents have shared photos of crowds outside stores and empty shelves at supermarket staples such as H-E-B, Kroger and Whole Foods 365. “It’ll be 30 years (Tuesday) with H-E-B,” company president Scott McClelland said Monday during a news conference in Houston. “I’ve never seen anything like this month.” McClelland joined executives from Kroger and Randall’s as well as Houston

Photo from Facebook

Empty shelf sightings have been common at area grocery stores such as H-E-B at 2300 N. Shepherd Dr.

Mayor Sylvester Turner, who assured the public earlier this week that Houston’s food supply is strong. They encouraged citizens to refrain from stockpiling goods while announcing measures aimed at curbing that trend. Texas-based H-E-B, which has locations at 2300 N. Shepherd Dr. and 3663 Washington Ave., changed its Houstonarea store hours to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. starting last Saturday. The same hours apply to Joe V’s Smart Shop, Mi Tienda and Central Market locations, and McClelland said the purpose of the modified hours is to allow those stores an opportu-

nity to replenish their shelves. McClelland also said H-EB is dispatching 1,300 trucks per day that deliver products to its stores all over the state. The company is expanding its curbside services as well.

“So there will be food,” McClelland said. “There’s not a reason to stock up. Just come back tomorrow.” Joe Kelley of Kroger, which has adopted new hours of 7 a.m.-10 p.m., said the company also is well-positioned to meet demand but is struggling to put products back on shelves before they are scooped up. Kroger has four locations in the area – 1035 N. Shepherd Dr., 1440 Studemont St., 1352 W. 43rd St. and 239 W. 20th St. A spokesperson for German grocery chain ALDI, which opened a Garden Oaks location last year at 3938 N. Shepherd Dr., said all of its United States stores have changed their hours to 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Some locations may need to temporarily close during the day to restock. “Now more than ever, our service to the community is critical,” the spokesperson said. With government and health officials asking AmeriSee Groceries, P. 3B

Photo from Facebook Customers stand in line last week outside the Joe V’s Smart Shop at 12009 Northwest Fwy.

Open-air markets could make for safer shopping By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

Grocery stores are struggling to keep their shelves stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers are lining up early and emptying the shelves in order to prepare for a potential quarantine. But is a packed supermarket the safest place to buy food during this time of social distancing? Scott Packard, chief communications and public affairs officer for the Houston Health Department, said outdoor markets pose a lower health risk for contracting the upperrespiratory disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus. “Generally speaking, because of the open-air nature of the outdoors, there is typically a lower health risk,” Packard said in an email. “However, it’s important to again note that COVID-19 risk is associated with proximity and length of exposure whether that occurs indoors or outdoors.” Jessica Ivins, owner of Edgesetter Marketing & Events — the company that puts on the Heights Morning Market every Sunday from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. — pointed out that it’s fear and frenzy that is causing people to go into crowded stores. In those stores there’s a lot of people touching a lot

Photo by Adam Zuvanich Eleanora’s Market remains open every Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the parking lot of Cavatore Italian Restaurant, 2120 Ella Blvd.

of things, but at an outdoor market everything is typically more spread out. “If you think about any item on the shelf at a Walmart, how does it get there and how many places does it rest before getting to that shelf,” Ivins said. “Then you have the storing and stocking. You have so many touch points. All these things that you don’t have at a farmers market.” At markets, the seller is usually the maker, so buyers can see exactly who the product is coming from. Markets in the area, including the Heights Morning

Market as well as Eleanora’s Market, held Saturdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 2120 Ella Blvd., and The Farmstand at Petrol Station, held Saturdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 948 Wakefield Dr., have also implemented various public health precautions, like no sampling of food, hand-washing stations and not allowing customers to touch products. Instead, customers must point to items they want before having them bagged by vendors. “We just want people to come and enjoy our cheese and enjoy that time out in the market,” Gary Young of Dap-

per Goat Dairy Farm said. Young, who sets up at Eleanora’s Market, said that during this time it’s even more important for markets not to be cancelled because it’s an access to food and because of the livelihood of the vendors. Another market Young sets up at is in Tomball. It’s been cancelled for the next two weeks, and he said he doesn’t understand why. “This is their way of surviving. They make their money like this every week,” Federico Cavatore of Eleanora’s Market said about market vendors. Cathy Sullivan of The Farmstand at Petrol Station echoes Cavatore’s sentiment. “Small farmers depend on weekly income. Perishable produce cannot wait,” Sullivan said. “It must be harvested when ripe or it will be wasted, composted or animal feed, which is a loss of income for the grower.” Ivins said farmers markets also tend to sell products with healthier ingredients, natural supplements like CBD oil and elderberry syrup, and other natural remedies. “The bottom line, and why I think it’s so important to keep (markets) going, and what farmers markets represent in general, is health,” Ivins said. “And weekly farmers markets shine a spotlight on that.”

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Don’t stop supporting local restaurants Zarah Parker Managing Editor

On Monday, Houston officials ordered the closure of bars and placed restrictions on restaurants. Dining in is no longer an option at local restaurants in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the upper-respiratory disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus. This measure was put into effect Tuesday and continues for at least 15 days. While many small businesses are taking hits, the potential damage to local restaurants is particularly heartbreaking. Having covered the food and drink scene in our area for two years, a lot of these places have become a part of my life. When Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on Houston in

2017, I saw the Houston community as a whole come together to help their neighbors. Now, I’m seeing that again in many ways, including the multiple posts I’ve seen on social media of local residents reminding people how they can still support restaurants during this time. You can still order carryout. Many restaurants are offering pick-up, delivery and curbside services. The Classic, 5922 Washington Ave., is offering a limited to-go menu as well as a “Hunker Down” menu via online ordering, phone orders and DoorDash. Curbside pickup is available from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. daily. The Hunker Down menu will feed a family of four for $100. Each order will also include a roll of toilet paper while supplies last. They will offer free in-house delivery on orders of $50 or more. Local Foods, 714 Yale St., is offering a limited to-

go menu as well as a Hunker Down available for pickup or delivery from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. daily. Guests can order online or call and pick up curbside or get it delivered via DoorDash. They will also offer free inhouse delivery on orders of $50 or more. Field & Tides, 705 E. 11th St., is offering its full menu, with the exception of raw food items, for takeout and pickup orders, as well as delivery to the Heights, Hunters Creek, Spring Valley and Montrose. The restaurant will offer a $50 gift card after someone places a third order with them that can be used for dine-in only once their normal business operations are back in place. Delivery orders require a minimum of $20 and they will charge a $5 flat delivery fee. Rainbow Lodge, 2011 Ella Blvd., is offering curbside pickup, along with a $20 gift card for a future visit.

And these aren’t the only places that are transitioning to carryout or offering promotions. I don’t have the space to name all of them, but I’ve seen several restaurants in our area post that they have that option available. Another way to help a local spot while business is slower than usual is to buy gift cards. Other ways to help include buying merchandise, such as shirts, or donating if the restaurant has that option. Of course, you can still tip while grabbing your carryout. It’s also important to not forget the shops that aren’t your typical restaurant, like Tea + Victory, the board game cafe at 2030 E. T.C. Jester Blvd. The shop is offering curbside service for coffee and is currently working on a plan of action for food. We don’t know how the next week will hit us, so let’s do the little we can while we can.

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March 21 Section B by Street Media - Issuu