Earls restaurants switch to grocery, liquor delivery during pandemic

One restaurant chain is thinking outside the box by providing grocery delivery options to the public. 

Earl's Restaurant is offering curbside pick-up and delivery through SkipTheDishes of a market of items, including everything from daily home essentials to fully prepared meals.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the food-service industry particularly hard as many restaurants have been forced to close across the country.

Transforming into a place for people to get basic supplies has given the restaurant a way to get rid of food while keeping some employees working, and acts as an opportunity to give back to the community as well, said Jessica Ellis, Earls regional director for Edmonton North.

"What we heard from people was that there were numerous items that they didn't have access to, and there was really long lines of the grocery store when people are trying really hard to limit their social interactions," Ellis said. 

"We wanted to be able to provide a solution to all of that. Here we were after the closure, we had access to so many fresh products, and we really wanted to offer something to our guests during this time." 

Earls, which has one location in the city and more than 60 across Canada and the United States, will provide grocery store staples, liquor and a few household goods to customers - their "menu" lists a roll of toilet paper for $1 and 500 mL of hand soap for $20.

Grocery packs can be ordered over the phone and online, with options including fresh produce, dairy and eggs, protein packs with ribs and burger patties, or tofu and black bean options for vegetarians.  

A protein freezer pack, for example, contains two racks of ribs, six Angus Chuck burger patties, four sirloin steaks and six salmon fillets for $99. People can restock their pantries with jasmine rice, quinoa, noodles, flour, baking powder and baking soda, cooking oils, and salt and pepper, for $30. 

Other options include ready-made meals, chef kits for make-your-own pizzas and pan bread. Customers can still pick up prepared meals as well. 

If you decide to pick up your groceries at the store instead of having them delivered, you'll get 20 per cent off your order, according to the website.

Ellis said the response has been "overwhelmingly positive" since the grocery delivery launched two weeks ago. 

"People are just grateful to have an easy way to get groceries, especially when they were having trouble finding and getting their hands on certain items," she said, noting flour and yeast as two elusive ingredients that are offered on their menu. 

"We have such an incredible access to a chain of high-quality ingredients, and being able to offer that to our guests and give back to our community has been really great." 

The chain isn’t the only one providing grocery services to the community. 

Italian bakery Mercato is delivering groceries within 48 hours to customers online within St. Albert and Edmonton. Once an order is ready, a Mercato representative follows up with a call to confirm the order and process payments over the phone.