PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The coronavirus has forced restaurants to change their business models to adapt to current market conditions.
One cafe has turned itself into a pop-up grocery store and has things in stock like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and chicken.
"Everybody is looking for toilet paper," said Avi Sekerel.
The pandemic has caused grocery store shelves to be empty in spots—missing essentials like chicken, soap, and hand sanitizer. But restaurants use different suppliers than grocery stores, so with eateries reduced to take-out orders, there is plenty of inventory from warehouses.
"Most restaurants shut down so now they have a lot of ingredients and stuff that we can actually use,” said Avi.
Avi is taking advantage of the inventory and has turned his three locations into pop-up grocery stores. He's taking items that are shipped to him in bulk and making them family size. Items like anti-bacterial soap.
"We were able to get them by the gallon, from the same company, Dial, and we pack them in pints," said Avi.
Things you would typically find in a grocery store, just packaged a little differently.
Ground beef, chicken, and salmon shipped in fresh, daily.
The process is simple, order online and pick-up curbside the next day.
Avi is offering the pop-up at three locations. Procecco Cafe, The Dancing Crane restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, and Saquella Cafe in Boca Raton.
"I am actually working harder than I worked before," he said.
Prosecco does pick up each day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.