(Updated 4/8/2020) In addition to their regular menu items for delivery or carry out, some local restaurants are turning into grocers to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grocery kits and markets from restaurants save residents a trip to the grocery store and help financially support local eateries.
Here’s a few of the restaurants-turned-grocers Tysons Reporter has found:
Great American Restaurants, which operates three eateries in Tysons, debuted “The Great American Grocery Essentials” on March 25, according to a press release.
For $69, the kit includes milk, orange juice, butter, rice, eggs, ground beef, chicken breast, toilet paper, baked goods, spaghetti and paper towels.
The kit is available for pick-up or delivery.
Farmers Restaurant Group has started an online market and grocery at the Founding Farmers locations in Tysons and Potomac, Md., according to a press release.
“The market will sell over 300 items with various ‘departments’ including a prepared foods market, bakery and pastry, butcher and deli, produce, an ice cream shop, basic groceries and household staples, tins of specialty roasted coffee, and an alcohol section,” the press release said.
In addition to the restaurant’s a la carte menu, the Tysons location will also offer scheduled, contact-free curbside pick-up and delivery options for its groceries starting today (April 7).
Delivery orders cost an addition $6.99 and will be available within a 10-15 mile radius of the two locations.
“Restaurant access to bulk food and material suppliers and partners could help ease the burden for everyone, especially with shortages at area grocery stores,” the press release said.
Earls, a restaurant chain that has a location in Tysons, recently launched “Earls Grocer” to sell pre-packaged grocery kits, meals and individual items for delivery or pick-up.
The grocery packs offered in the U.S. include the “Produce Pack,” “Dairy + Egg Pack,” “Pantry Pack” and “Protein Pack.”
Shoppers can also by individual items — like toilet paper, hand soap, BBQ rack of ribs, ground coffee and cheesecake — and prepared meals to feed two to four people.
In the U.S., the groceries can be delivered through DoorDash, UberEats or GrubHub.
The Palm, a restaurant chain that has a location in Tysons, is offering take-home meal kits, according to Facebook posts.
People can create their own meals with The Palm’s “Steak Kits.”
“From 7-ounce Center-Cut Filets to 18-ounce Rib-Eye Steaks, place your order at your nearest Palm for pickup or curbside service,” according to a Facebook post.
Know of a local restaurant offering groceries? Email us at [email protected]
Fairfax County has seen another jump in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Cases rose from 488 on Monday to 532 today (Tuesday), according to data from the Virginia Department of Health
As of today, there are 3,333 confirmed cases and 63 deaths statewide, including five deaths in Fairfax County.
The Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, has the highest number of cases in the state, followed by Henrico County (267), which is near Richmond.
Nearby Arlington County has 237 cases, while Loudoun County has 209.
Recently, Northam urged Virginians to wear cloth face masks or coverings to reduce the spread of the virus — especially by asymptomatic people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings — not surgical masks or N-95 respirators that medical workers need.
Data in graph via Virginia Department of Health
Virginia is ranked #35 for states with the most aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by WalletHub.
WalletHub says the rankings for the 50 states and D.C. were determined after weighting 51 metrics under three dimensions: “Prevention & Containment,” “Risk Factors & Infrastructure” and “Economic Impact.”
New York topped the “Most Aggressive States Against the Coronavirus” report’s list of states with the most aggressive measures against the virus, while Oklahoma came in last.
Virginia’s Response
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to climb in the state.
As of today, there are 3,333 confirmed cases and 63 deaths statewide, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, has the highest number of cases in the state with 532 cases as of today.
Gov. Ralph Northam issues a stay-at-home order last Monday (March 30).
The order, which will last until June 10, lets people leave their homes for essential services — including medical care, food, supplies, work and more — and social-distanced outdoor activities. Gatherings of 10 people or more are currently banned.
Recreation and entertainment businesses have been ordered closed, while restaurants and retailers have been able to stay open under modified operations — restaurants can stay open for delivery and take-out options, while non-essential businesses must limit the number of shoppers in stores.
Recently, Northam urged Virginians to wear cloth face masks or coverings to reduce the spread of the virus — especially by asymptomatic people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings — not surgical masks or N-95 respirators that medical workers need.
What Other States Are Doing
Nearby, all non-essential businesses are temporarily closed in Maryland and D.C., which both have stay at home orders. In WalletHub’s report, D.C. was ranked #2, while Maryland was #13.
Other states have taken different approaches to combating the virus.
On March 19, California’s governor announced a statewide shelter-in-place order — restricting Californians to only essential errands.
MSN reported yesterday (Monday) that Iowa’s governor is urging people to stay home but has not made it an order, while Oklahoma’s governor has only ordered people who are elderly or who have immunodeficiencies to stay home.
Let Tysons Reporter know in the poll below what you think of Virginia’s response so far to the pandemic.
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Local Paper Looking for Help — The Falls Church News-Press has been asking for donations from $25-$5,000 to help keep the paper operating under the COVID-19 pandemic. [Falls Church News-Press]
How One Local Faith Group is Adapting — “The ongoing COVID-19 public-health crisis has caused many organizations to regroup. Among them is Arlington/McLean Young Life Capernaum, which works with young people with special needs.” [Inside NoVa]
Local Students’ Research Lauded — “Emily Sun and Abigail Xu, students at Langley High School, have been selected as the 2020 recipients of the STEM Excellence Award bestowed by the McLean area branch of the American Association of University Women.” [Inside NoVa]
Shopper Limits at Harris Teeter — “Kroger Co. will limit the number of shoppers it allows in each of its stores across the country — including its Harris Teeter-branded stores — beginning Tuesday…The standard grocery store building capacity is one person per 60 square feet. Kroger will now limit capacity to one person per 120 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Falls Church Officials Mull COVID-19 Impacts — “Although it is only a very preliminary assessment, the City’s chief financial officer Kiran Bawa presented to the Council two possible scenarios for the fiscal conditions facing the City, moderate and a severe estimates, with one having the City losing $1.3 to $3.9 million in revenues below earlier projections in the last four months of the current fiscal year, and $5.5 to $8.5 million in the Fiscal Year 2021 that begins July 1.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Severe Thunderstorms Possible — “Isolated severe storms are possible late this afternoon and evening for locations near and to the south and west of the Potomac River. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats. There is an isolated threat for severe thunderstorms overnight across the entire area.” [National Weather Service]
Severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and tonight. See image for more details. pic.twitter.com/s73E9gUzze
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 7, 2020
In response to everything happening with the COVID-19 pandemic, several local groups decided to raise money to feed medical workers at local facilities.
Though Hearts of Empowerment, the P.U.S.O. Foundation and Mighty Meals all typically serve different purposes in the community, they began a joint GoFundMe campaign to feed health care workers throughout the Tysons area, according to a press release.
Since the campaign’s kick-off on March 24, the organizers have raised $4,250 and counting. So far, more than 85 people have donated to the cause.
Hearts of Empowerment is a non-profit organization that wants to ensure that no charity is forced to close its doors due to a lack of funding, its website said, adding that it will donate $750 of the company’s own funds in addition to what is raised on the GoFundMe page.
The P.U.S.O. Foundation, which stands for Purposeful Unconditional Service to Others, works to empower people in underserved areas of the world, according to its website. The foundation will donate an extra $1,000, on top of what is crowdsourced, according to the GoFundMe campaign.
Mighty Meals — the group that will cater the food — was founded on a platform that everyone should have access to healthy and fulfilling meals, its website said. Mighty Meals will match the total donation amount by 25%, according to the GoFundMe.
“To date, we have delivered over 200 meals and our efforts will continue on a weekly basis as we have made it our goal to feed the staff of a new hospital every week,” a spokesperson for Hearts of Empowerment said.
On top of the funding for meals, Trophy Body Personal Training will be sponsoring free social distancing outdoor workouts for doctors and nurses, according to the GoFundMe.
Photos courtesy Hearts of Empowerment
Tysons-based Gannett has created a new initiative to help connect people to local businesses seeking support during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Support Local website lets people search for businesses from a list to buy gift cards. The website prompts people to share the news of their gift card purchases on social media.
The website has businesses from hundreds of cities across the U.S. So far, Austin, Texas has the most small businesses on the site (260).
The Tysons-area businesses include:
- J. Gilbert’s in McLean
- Founding Farmers in Tysons
- Red Galanga in Vienna
- Bazin’s on Church in Vienna
- Jolie Hair Studio in Vienna
- 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church
- Koi Koi Sushi in Falls Church
- Malee Thai Massage in Falls Church
“We hope that our efforts will allow them to continue to serve their communities in the future,” according to the website.
Headquartered in Valo Park, the news media company includes USA TODAY and hundreds of daily local news brands.
Patrons or business owners can submit information about small businesses registered with Google to get added to the site.
Image via Support Local
Updated at 11:30 a.m. — Corrects percentage of the number of cases that increased.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Fairfax County.
As of today (Monday), cases rose by 14.5 percent from 426 on Sunday to 488, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
Overall, statewide cases are nearing 3,000. So far, there are 2,878 cases — a number that rested at around 1,000 cases just a week ago.
Arlington has the second-most number of cases (203), followed by Loudoun County (188).
In the state, 51 people have died as a result of the respiratory illness, with five deaths in Fairfax County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now encouraging residents to wear face masks in order to prevent and slow community transmission of the virus.
Data in graph via Virginia Department of Health
Fairfax County Public Schools will keep feeding students during spring break next week.
During spring break (April 6-10), FCPS plans to offering grab and go meals at school sites, along with curbside service, according to a press release.
The hours will be from 10 a.m.- 1p p.m. Families can also get meals from the current pop-up sites and bus route drop-offs.
Meals are free for kids and $2 for adults. Families must bring their kids when requesting meals.
FCPS wants families to maintain six feet apart from each other to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus and to practice good hygiene before, during and after the food pick-up.
Photo via FCPS
The head of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is joining mayors and county officials around the U.S. in a call for the federal government to ramp up production and distribution of medical supplies.
Addressed to President Donald Trump, the letter demands that the federal government establish a “medical equipment czar” and task force that would work with the Defense Logistics Agency to handle the distribution of medical supplies while the pandemic lasts.
Jeff McKay, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, tweeted earlier today that he had signed the letter.
At the time this article published, just over 100 local elected officials from around the U.S. had signed the letter.
The letter notes that many hospitals and health care workers are facing obstacles to replenish their dwindling medical supplies to treat COVID-19 patients.
To help minimize medial supply shortages, the task force would forecast the geographic and temporal spread of COVID-19 and maintain an inventory of medical equipment, along with other roles, according to the letter.
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Fairfax County.
As of today (Friday), there are now 372 cases in the Fairfax Health District — a jump from 328 cases yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county. Five people have died due to the novel coronavirus in the county.
Arlington has the second-most confirmed cases in the Virginia with 135 cases.
Statewide, there are 2,012 confirmed cases and 46 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Last Friday, there were 604 cases and 14 deaths due to the respiratory illness in Virginia.
The number of cases has steadily increased in the state over the last few weeks — likely due to expanded testing capacity and community spread of the virus in Northern Virginia.
On Wednesday, Northam said that Virginia will likely see “a surge in the number of people who test positive between late April and late May.”
Fairfax County now has a webpage for geo-spatial resources for COVID-19. The webpage includes information on community resources like food, healthcare and lodging, along with information on the county’s demographics.
According to the “COVID-19 Impact Planning Report,” the county’s at-risk population for the virus includes nearly 160,000 people who are age 65 or older, roughly 16,000 households without vehicles and 62,000 households with a person who has a disability.
Image via Fairfax County
