Grub Notes
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UPDATED: Where to Eat While Sheltering in Place
De Palma's will be this empty for the foreseeable future.
Maybe you don't want to go to the grocery store right now. Maybe you can't cook. Maybe you're worried about the folks in the service industry who make up a big chunk of our town and are going to be especially hard hit by social distancing as we attempt to flatten the curve of COVID-19 contagion. Here are some restaurants going out of their way to help. Throw 'em some bucks if you can and/or donate to the GIving Kitchen, which will provide resources to those workers. Cosmic Delivery and Bulldawg Food are still operating, as are national services like UberEats.
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Athens Farmers Markets Restart Next Weekend
The Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park has been taking orders for pick-up for a while, but on May 9 it’ll open back up to the public for in-person shopping. Does this seem like a terrible idea? There are some strict procedures for how it works, so don’t expect the same crush of people as usual.
- You have to wash your hands, both before you enter and while you’re in there. Hand-washing stations have been installed.
- One person per family. This is not a social outing. Don’t dilly-dally.
- Pre-order if you can. Options are on AFM’s site.
- Wear a mask. This is not optional. If you forget yours, you can buy one there.
- Keep your distance from people, duh.
- If you must pay in cash (and try not to), leave it on the table for the vendor to pick up.
- High risk? Stay home.
The West Broad Farmers Market is also opening the same day, in a drive-thru format in the parking lot of the Athens Housing Authority at 300 S. Rocksprings St. AHA is also providing land for the community garden that was previously on Clarke County School District property. You can order ahead of time at wbfm.locallygrown.net, beginning at 5 p.m. each Sunday and continuing through 1 p.m. Thursday, then pick up your order on Saturday between 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., paying when you get there. Folks who live in the West Broad neighborhood can have their orders delivered.
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How to Help Restaurants the Most
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how to help restaurants, and if you care about Athens, you probably have been, too.
First and foremost, you can donate to their GoFundMes or virtual tip jars. There are too many to link to here. Yes, it's possible some of those are shady. I wouldn't let that stop you from helping at all. Giving restaurants cash without requiring anything in return clearly helps them stay open, whether they're pivoting to delivery service during this pandemic or choosing to lay low or using their resources to provide meals to people who need them (Hugh Acheson is donating hundreds of meals a week to organizations that serve people in need, like Chess and Community, Dignidad Inmigrante en Athens and the Athens Community Council on Aging).
Lots of restaurants are trying to give you something in return, like T-shirts printed locally, or offering gift cards for the future. You can buy those.
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UGA Athletic Association Doesn't Know What 'Local' Means
At this time of all times, the UGA Athletic Association decided to tweet in favor of supporting local restaurants, with a big header that said "support local." The problem is what followed it: a list of chains, only two of which (Grindhouse and Zaxby's) could sorta be described as local restaurants.
Yes, chain and franchise restaurants are owned by local people, and local people work there, but encouraging people to support McDonald's, Papa John's and Subway isn't exactly the best way to bring money back into the hurting local economy. The explanation, of course, is that these are the places that advertise with the Athletic Association, and the end of the tweet reads, "Thank you for continuing to support our partners."
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Athens Bars Can Now Sell Beer and Wine to Go
Cheers!
Athens bars and restaurants can now sell unopened bottles and cans of beer and wine to go during the coronavirus emergency after Athens-Clarke County Manager Blaine Williams signed an order Friday suspending certain provisions of the local alcoholic beverage ordinance.
The ACC Commission essentially shut down bars and restaurant dining rooms when it limited public gatherings to less than 10 people on Mar. 16, then officially closed them to the publicon Mar. 19, although restaurants can still do take-out and delivery.
Ordinarily, businesses with a license to serve alcohol on the premises can't sell it for consumption off premises, and vice versa.
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Champy's Changes Names, a Persian Buffet and More Food News
Photo Credit: Classic City Eats via Facebook
The owners of the Baxter Street location of Champy's Famous Fried Chicken, which opened in 2015, recently decided to separate from the franchise and create their own restaurant. The renamed Classic City Eats has a similar menu but does not have the Delta tamales that were a highlight. it does still have plenty of fried chicken, draft beer, fried green tomatoes and such. It's open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and lunch Tuesday through Sunday.
International Grill & Bar, the Iranian restaurant on Mitchell Bridge Road, has added an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $12.65 a person.
Square One Fish Co., in Normaltown, has added Sunday brunch from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. You can see the menu on its website.
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Cravings Is Open Downtown; Nedza's Is Moving to Five Points
Photo Credit: Nedza's Waffles via Facebook
Cravings, a restaurant with another location in Milledgeville, has opened an Athens location in the former Franklin House Cafe downtown, at the corner of Thomas, Broad and Oconee streets. The Milledgeville location focuses on deli sandwiches and bubble tea, with breakfast to go, as well as occasional Filipino specialties like pancit. Cross your fingers for the latter.
Nedza's, which started out as a pop-up puffle waffle business at a table at Athens Farmers Market, then expanded to doughnuts and more out of a truck, is set to move into the old Your Pie in Five Points, opening around April. It'll serve doughnuts, biscuits and waffles (with ice cream and fruit), with gluten-free options and vegan options, but not pizza (the oven was removed). The business will still do events.
Happy 20th birthday to Barberitos, which managed to franchise without losing its identity or going out of business. It's a real achievement! Making it to 20 years is genuinely difficult in the restaurant industry, so props.
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Long-Awaited Bar on Oglethorpe Is Open
Photo Credit: Oglethorpe Garage/Instagram
Since Hendershot's on Oglethorpe near the Loop closed, there's been one rumor or another about what might be going into that building, but now Oglethorpe Garage is open there.
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