In the struggling economy, a local restaurant owner got creative to find a new way to help customers and generate revenue. He created a food share program as an alternative to going to the grocery store.”Today, people are paying $77 for, what I would say, is probably about $130 to $140 in groceries,” said Avi Shemtov, owner of Simcha restaurant in Sharon.Saving money is a huge perk, but that’s not the only reason why some people are turning to alternative sources for groceries.”This is an incredible service. Going to the grocery store is a big stressor,” said customer Liz Moore.Shemtov and his team assemble boxes of food every week, for no-contact pickup and delivery in Canton and Sharon. The boxes contain fruit and vegetables, and dry goods, along with the option of meat and fish. Shemtov said the idea came about six weeks ago from friends who asked if he could get food for them from his restaurant wholesaler. “I explained that like – at the volume that we buy – there would have to be like a decent size group. So, I threw it up on Facebook in Sharon, and I got a ton of response. I said I needed 10 families, and today we’re doing 162,” he said. “The way it works is they just pay an admin fee that pays for – like what you’re seeing happening here – it’s just paying these guys for their time, and then they’re paying at cost, what the food actually costs,” Shemtov said. NewsCenter 5 recently visited farm stands, which are offering groceries now too. The alternatives to supermarkets are keeping local businesses busy, and helping customers to avoid long lines to get into grocery stores.”The food has been incredible, the value has been great, and we just really appreciate having the opportunity to support a local business,” customer Karen Lempert said.
In the struggling economy, a local restaurant owner got creative to find a new way to help customers and generate revenue. He created a food share program as an alternative to going to the grocery store.
“Today, people are paying $77 for, what I would say, is probably about $130 to $140 in groceries,” said Avi Shemtov, owner of Simcha restaurant in Sharon.
Saving money is a huge perk, but that’s not the only reason why some people are turning to alternative sources for groceries.
“This is an incredible service. Going to the grocery store is a big stressor,” said customer Liz Moore.
Shemtov and his team assemble boxes of food every week, for no-contact pickup and delivery in Canton and Sharon. The boxes contain fruit and vegetables, and dry goods, along with the option of meat and fish. Shemtov said the idea came about six weeks ago from friends who asked if he could get food for them from his restaurant wholesaler.
“I explained that like – at the volume that we buy – there would have to be like a decent size group. So, I threw it up on Facebook in Sharon, and I got a ton of response. I said I needed 10 families, and today we’re doing 162,” he said.
“The way it works is they just pay an admin fee that pays for – like what you’re seeing happening here – it’s just paying these guys for their time, and then they’re paying at cost, what the food actually costs,” Shemtov said.
NewsCenter 5 recently visited farm stands, which are offering groceries now too. The alternatives to supermarkets are keeping local businesses busy, and helping customers to avoid long lines to get into grocery stores.
“The food has been incredible, the value has been great, and we just really appreciate having the opportunity to support a local business,” customer Karen Lempert said.
