Buckhead Life Restaurant Group is providing nearly 2000 meals a week to hourly employees and their families.

The restaurant industry has been hit hard to the coronavirus and many employees have been affected.

Pano Karstassos, the executive chef said there are about 700 hourly employees among the eight restaurants within the group. The employees will be able to pick up the food at the restaurants twice a week.

“Families of four, five, and six are coming today and we have enough food inside of one two or three bags to feed them at least for the next couple of days," Karstassos said “Being able to provide food for them, being able to see them come here and pick up the food is huge.”

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Among those preparing the 2000 meals a week is executive chef Piero Premoli with Pricci.

He has 15 years under his belt at Pricci and 20 years with Buckhead Life Restaurant Group.

He said now is the time to take of those who have become members of his family.

“They’re friends, they’re family. It’s rough times for them. For us to be able to give back, as I said, to people who give so much is very important now," Premoli said.

As Premoli preps the food, his mind is also on his family in Italy. More than 6000 have now died due to the coronavirus in Italy.

“It’s a time of uncertainties. Nothing like this has ever happened in our lifetime so we are just keeping positive and prepare," Premoli said.

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Premoli said he's staying positive for the health of his family in Italy, all of those in the Buckhead Life Restaurant group while they all wait for the day things go back to normal.

“This pandemic has closed our businesses when everything is going to go back to normal, we’re going to be here serving our clientele. All of the jobs are going to be back. All our cooking teams, our front of the house teams and everything that goes into this great industry is going to be back," Premoli said.

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