ASHLAND, Ore.– Local restaurants are getting creative to get their products to customers.
Many restaurants are using delivery services such as Grubhub or DoorDash. But at NW Raw in Ashland, they’ve created their own temporary service as a way to keep control on the sanitation of their products.
“I have great respect for those other companies but I can’t control that but this I can control,” said Web Staunton, owner of NW Raw.
Despite the obstacles over the last couple of weeks, the wheels at NW Raw continue to turn. While customers may not be able to sit down, they can still take their food to go. Staunton says they also built a small drive through in front of the store where employees can bring the food to customers so they don’t have to come inside.
“We like normal life, we like to go out and we like to eat and we like all those things,” said Staunton. “We’re not able to do that so we’re trying to help as much as we can.”
However, businesses have been hit hard including Staunton’s in an eerily familiar check boxing of situations. Loss of business? Staunton says he’s down 50 percent. Cutting back? He’s laid off several staff and works shortened hours with a skeleton crew.
But Staunton believes in his product and wants to get it to his loyal customers. He’s hoping by launching it’s own delivery service, it’ll stay afloat. It’s something he says he’s been meaning to do for sometime but with coronavirus and its effects, he’s been pushed to try it sooner than he imagined.
“It’s a good idea and just to try this and see if it’s something people will support,” he said.
Staunton says he and his son will be making deliveries to homes on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. People who want orders are asked to call in a day ahead to book their order. They must also leave out a cooler container by their front door for the food and drinks.
Staunton knows in this economic climate not every restaurant can do it. Some have already closed their doors. Others are turning to companies like Grubhub and DoorDash. He just hopes everyone finds a way to make it to the other side.
“This is the greatest challenge I think most of us will ever endure as a business,” he said.
If you’d like to learn more about the delivery service, you can visit NW Raw’s website here.
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