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FOOD & DRINK
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MARCH 29, 2020
Food & Drink
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Crisis turns restaurants into grocery stores BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
S
ales might be down by 90 percent at U.S. Egg, but that’s not stopping the Valley-based, family-owned and operated breakfast and lunch restaurant from putting the community �irst. Last week, all six Valley locations, including the two in Scottsdale, began selling essential items as an add-on to carryout orders of $20 or more. Essential items ranged from cleaning supplies and toilet paper to eggs and milk and even protein bars and granola. “A senior citizen who lives in the area was dining with us last week, and she told me she spent an hour at the grocery store but wasn’t able to get milk and eggs. She asked if she could buy some from me, and that’s what sparked this,” said U.S. Egg coowner George Gebran. Gebran said that they realized that with their greatly diminished business, they were sitting on a lot of inventory from Shamrock Foods that would “go unsold before it expired.” So, they decided to make their stock available to the community at near cost. “We realized that we have access to a part of the distribution network that other members of our community do not and that we could try to continue providing items to folk who are having a hard time keeping the pantry stocked,” Gebran said. The most popular staple items were eggs and toilet paper. “Often people will call speci�ically for one and jump at the chance to buy the other when they �ind out what we have available,” Gebran said, adding that they expanded their list to include as much produce as possible. Los Sombreros Old Town has also added groceries to its menu. It started taking orders for weekly Mercado grocery boxes, with items
U.S. Egg and Los Sombreros Old Town began selling in-demand essentials at their respective restaurants, including toilet paper, milk, eggs, and more. (U.S. Egg)
changing weekly. They have three boxes: the Basics for $30, including rice, romaine lettuce, shredded Mexican cheese, tortillas, avocados, cucumber, strawberries, eggs and two rolls of toilet paper; the Essentials for $60, including everything in the Basics box as well as chicken breasts, milk, red wine, and four rolls of toilet paper; and the Big Guy for $100, including everything in the two other boxes as well as a fourpack of Steve-a-Rita, limes, and six total rolls of toilet paper. “We recognize that resources are a bit more scarce than they were three weeks ago, and people are looking for creative
solutions and ways to stock up on fresh foods,” Riske said. “We want to support our community and provide them with fresh, pantry, and fridge staples that change each week. We always include a fun offering or two, like a bottle of wine or a four-pack of Steve-a-Rita margaritas. It won’t always be booze!” To place an order: colleen@lossombreros.com by 2 p.m. Wednesdays and pay via Venmo, Paypal, or a credit card over the phone. Groceries can be picked up Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gebran said the main reaction they’ve seen from U.S. Egg guests is gratitude. “We’ve had people emotionally moved
by the ability to buy eggs, milk, orange juice, or bathroom tissue. It’s been amazing to see and has been both surprising and ful�illing to see these reactions. Lots of folk just are shocked by what they consider to be a great idea,” he said. Spring is an important time of the year for U.S. Egg. So important, they save their pro�its from March to get them get through the slower summer months, July and August. “This year will be tough,” he said. One way the public can help support restaurants at this time, including U.S. Egg, is by continuing to order takeout. “An unfortunate a side effect of the situation we’re in is that there are thousands of servers, cooks, bussers and other restaurant staff out there who are currently out of work. We’d love to put out the call to the community to support your local restaurants as much as possible with take-out ordering so we can stay alive long enough to bring our people back when this crisis is over,” Gebran said. Riske agrees. “More than anything, we are passionate about keeping our business thriving so we can continue to provide jobs for our employees who we love dearly,” said Colleen Riske, a Los Sombreros owner. “We want to be a special place to enjoy a delicious meal for our loyal guests. We will always adapt and roll with the changes so we can provide value to our guests and keep our employees working.” U.S. Egg’s new hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Los Sombreros in Scottsdale is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Los Sombreros Uptown is temporarily closed. U.S. Egg accepts carry-out orders and offers curbside pickup. Delivery orders are offered through DoorDash and Postmates. Visit lossombreros.com and useggrestaurant.com for more information, including the full lists of market items.
