MAY 22

Ironside Fish & Oyster Launches Steak and Seafood Market

The Little Italy restaurant is back open for takeout today, offering a menu of to-go plates from noon to 7:45 p.m. Featuring favorites like their lobster roll, clam chowder, rockfish ceviche, and oysters, the eatery is also selling premium seafood and meat for at-home cooking, from ahi tuna and live Maine lobster to dry-aged ribeyes and American Wagyu beef from Born & Raised, plus bottles of wine and cocktails.

Take a Virtual Cocktail Class with Seven Caves

There are a few spots left for the latest online cocktail class from Seven Caves Distillery, which is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. This round, founder and head distiller Geoff Longenecker will lead participants through the creation of three tiki cocktails made with the Miramar distillery’s Tiki Gin or Barrel Aged Rum, providing a detailed shopping list and recipes for each drink.

Recreate the Shake Shack Experience at Home

For your Memorial Day grilling needs, Shake Shack has launched a DIY ShackBurger® Kit in the San Diego area, which can be ordered online or through the Shake Shack app for same-day pickup or same-day delivery. Priced at $49, the kit includes eight patties made from its custom beef blend, Martin’s Potato Buns, American cheese, green leaf lettuce, roma tomatoes, Shake Shack’s secret ShackSauce, and step-by-step cooking instructions.

Support Small Business By Eating Ice Cream

Scheduled for May 22 through May 31, Ice Cream Relief Week is a weeklong series of virtual events curated by Scoop San Diego to encourage the community to support area ice cream and gelato shops. Stella Jean’s Ice Cream has created a new San Diego-themed flavor and will be donating a portion of sales proceeds to Home Start, and the events will range from a “Ice Cream 101” cocktail hour with Mr. Trustee Ice Cream and Bivouac Ciderworks to learn how to make boozy ice cream drinks to Facebook Live Q&A’s with Dixie Pops and GelatoLove.

Rubio’s Offers Military and Veterans Free BOGO Meals

This Monday, Rubio’s Coastal Grill locations are giving all military and veterans one free adult entree, with the purchase of another entree, provided they bring military ID and show this coupon at checkout. Today through Memorial Day, the eateries are also offering Family Weekend Deals — two entrees for $15 or four entrees for $30 with a coupon code that can be use for no-contact pickup or free delivery.

MAY 18

Brian Malarkey Reactivates Herb & Sea in Encinitas

The North County restaurant is the first Puffer Malarkey Collective venue to reopen since the hospitality group temporarily paused operations back in mid-May. Launching on Thursday, May 21 is Herb & Home, a collection of family-style meals for two, four, six, or eight people. Available for curbside pickup Thursday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the family feast menu starts at $39 per person and will feature a choice of entree plus five side dishes, including a salad, roasted vegetables, and a dessert. Herb & Sea is also offering a curated six-pack of wine called the Sommelier’s Box as well as single bottles and cocktails to-go.

Pick Up Pizza and Pastries at Cardellino in Mission Hills

The Trust Restaurant Group has expanded its takeout options to include Cardellino Restaurant. The Italian-American eatery on Goldfinch Street is now doing pickup, with a variety of pizza, wings, salad, and wine available on Fridays and Saturdays between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. On weekend mornings, the on-site bakery will be featuring to-go pastry boxes from executive pastry chef Jeremy Harville, with rotating weekly offerings announced on Cardellino’s Instagram.

Sorrento Valley Food Hall Restarts Service

Whisknladle Hospitality has added Park Commons back to its takeout and delivery roster. The Sorrento Valley food hall will be operating from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily with a selection of dishes from each food stall, ranging from poke, soup and salads to Mediterranean wraps, burgers, and fried chicken sandwiches.

Brunch Spot Reopens in Bay Park

Farmer’s Table is back in Bay Park with curbside pickup and delivery within a two-mile radius. Open daily from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for takeout and to-go wine and cocktails, the restaurant will also have brunch items available between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Tajima Previews Fried Chicken Concept

The restaurant group behind the ramen shops is gearing up to unveil Corner Chicken in the East Village, which will specialize in fried chicken. Diners can get a taste of the new eatery through the Nashville hot chicken sandwich that’s now available for pickup or delivery through any Tajima location. Served on a toasted brioche bun with kale slaw, pickles, and signature sauce, the sandwich is $1 off when ordered online.

MAY 15

Pop-Up Bakery Services Tijuana and San Diego

Though the storefront has been delayed until possibly later this summer, Tijuana bakery Cannella has launched a pop-up at Estación Central, a stylish cantina on Avenida Revolución. Running Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., it’s offering cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies baked fresh by Janina Garay, the former pastry chef at the Michelin-starred Addison. In addition to the Tijuana pop-up, Garay is also offering pickups at two locations in San Diego — in Chula Vista and Balboa Park.

Blind Lady Is Back With Pizza and Beer

Blind Lady Ale House has returned with takeout service, operating Thursday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Normal Heights updates its menu daily, offering a selection of signature pizzas that are available for pre-order until sold out. Blind Lady is also selling a variety of beer, cider, and wine plus select market items to-go.

Family-Sized Barbecue Platters Land in Poway

This Saturday, May 16, Smokin J’s BBQ is rolling out new family and party platters to coincide with National Barbecue Day. Designed to feed an entire household over several days, the easily re-heatable meal packages come with a generous spread that includes brisket, whole smoked chicken, pulled pork, pork belly and sides ranging from slaw to pasta salad as well as brioche buns and pecan pie.

Bub’s at the Beach Reopens for Takeout and Growler Fills

This Saturday also marks the return of Bub’s at the Beach, which has reopened in Pacific Beach for takeout Wednesday through Sunday, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Along with a menu of bar food favorites, the Garnet Avenue eatery is also offering 16-ounce to-go cocktails and daily deals on growler refills.

Weekly Oceanside Wine Sale Benefits The Flying Pig

Every Saturday in May, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the dining room of The Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen in Oceanside is transformed into a pop-up wine store, with proceeds from all wine and takeout food purchases going to support the restaurant’s employees. Featuring curbside pickup, the wine selection changes each week; orders over six bottles include free delivery to select locations.

MAY 13

Wayfarer Bread & Pastry Returns With Takeout Window

The beloved La Jolla Boulevard bakery, which paused takeout service in mid-March, will reopen on Thursday, May 14 with a brand new takeout window that will operate Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. offering bread, pastries, and coffee as well as select groceries, from flour and yeast to beer, wine, and produce. It will also be featuring pizza in the evenings, available for pickup between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pizza pre-orders are required; call 858-224-3073 between 9 a.m. and noon. Wayfarer Bread & Pastry is requiring that all customers wear face masks to pick up their orders and is not accepting cash at this time.

French Fine-Dining Can Now Be Enjoyed at Home

Thanks to many requests, restaurateur Bertrand Hug has reopened his elegant Rancho Santa Fe restaurant Mille Fleurs with a new menu that gives a takeout spin to French fine-dining. The Mille Fleurs at Home selections, offered Wednesday through Sunday from 4 p.m to 8 p.m., include classics like vichyssoise, duck confit, and Dover sole a la meuniere as well as seasonal plates from culinary director, Stephane Voitzwinkler, chef de cuisine Michael Moritz, and pastry chef, Samantha Bird, that utilize produce Chino Farms. Wine and craft cocktails are also available.

Farmer’s Table and Farmer’s Bottega Come Back Online

Farmer’s Table in La Mesa has reopened for lunch and dinner takeout service, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Featuring options from its regular menu, including pizzas, salads, appetizers, and entrees such as braised lamb shank and chicken parmesan, the restaurant is also offering family meal packages for two to six people. Farmer’s Bottega in Mission Hills has also rejoined the scene, with a lunch and dinner menu that includes a date night special for two people featuring an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, and a bottle of house red or white wine. Both eateries are also offering delivery within a two-mile radius.

Ballast Point Launches Beer and Food To-Go

Ballast Point Brewing Company has reactivated its restaurant locations in Miramar and Little Italy, which are now open every day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a range of menu favorites for takeout as well as 50-percent off crowlers, growlers and five gallon kegs of its house beer. Contact each individual location to pre-order for pickup. Home Brew Mart in Linda Vista is also back, offering beer to-go and brewing supplies.

Casa de Bandini Reopens With Daily Takeout Service

The Mexican restaurant inside The Forum in Carlsbad has resumed operations and now offers takeout and delivery every day between 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The newly-modified menu includes longtime favorites from the North County restaurant as well as “Fiesta Express Meals”, large shareable portions of everything from fajitas to enchiladas. Its house margaritas can also be brought home, including a party-sized version that holds enough drinks for the entire household. Orders can be placed by calling the restaurant at 760-634-3443; the restaurant is featuring no-contact pickup as well as delivery through DoorDash, Postmates and The Office Express.

MAY 8

Market’s Chef Tasting Menu Now Available for Takeout

Del Mar’s Market Restaurant + Bar has reopened its kitchen and chef/owner Carl Schroeder is offering a to-go, three-course chef’s tasting menu for $52. This week’s dinner choices include local grapefruit and avocado salad, cabernet-braised short ribs, porcini mushroom ravioli, and butterscotch custard, and all meals come with freshly-baked corn muffins. Pre-orders must be placed 24 hours in advance, with pickup times available Wednesday through Sunday.

Urge Gastropub and Commonhouse Featuring Free Delivery

The San Marcos brewpub is back open for curbside pickup as well as free delivery. Its online menu includes appetizers, signature Urge burgers, sandwiches, tacos, pizzas and more as well as Mason Ale Works beer, bottles of wine, and our house-made cocktails. There’s also an option to donate a meal to a frontline worker; Urge will be making deliveries to hospitals through the month of May.

Bring Brunch Home From The Duck Dive

The Duck Dive in Pacific Beach reopens today for takeout and delivery via Postmates. Operating Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the bar offers a lunch, dinner, and an all-day brunch menu that includes breakfast burritos, avocado toast, and gluten-free pancakes alongside canned beer, wine, and to-go cocktails like bottled mimosas and breakfast shots.

Celebrate Mom, Italian-Style With Monello

Little Italy sister restaurants Monello and Bencotto are doing a special Mother’s Day menu that will be available for pickup or delivery on Sunday, May 10 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Designed to feed two people, the four-course meal includes Caesar salad, a choice of appetizer, an entree pasta, and mango tiramisu for dessert. Sparkling bottles of the classic Venetian Bellini are also available. Pre-orders can be made by calling 619-501-0030 between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. or by visiting their website.

Treat Mom to a Meal and a Spa Day

With a menu created by chef Kelli Crosson, The Grill at Torrey Pines is doing a family-style Mother’s Day meal with options that range from duck dumplings and Dungeness crab strata to prime rib roast, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and strawberry cake. Bottles of wine are also half-price. Pair the special food with one of hotel’s take-home spa care packages, which include a variety of pampering items like massage oil, candles, bath salts, and more. Pre-order by Friday May 8 at 5 p.m. for pickup on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

MAY 5

Four Locations of City Tacos Resume Operations

City Tacos has officially reopened for takeout at four of its locations around San Diego. The outposts in North Park, La Mesa, and Imperial Beach will operate daily from noon to 8 p.m. while the Sorrento Valley branch will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The menu is available for pickup and delivery with Postmates and DoorDash.

Gravity Heights Restarts This Thursday

The Sorrento Mesa brewpub comes back online Thursday, May 7 with curbside takeout and delivery via DoorDash every day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Its weekly menus will feature favorite entrees, specialty burgers, and pizzas, and select entrees, with wine by the bottle and crowlers of their house beer also available for purchase.

George’s at the Cove Now Offers Three-Course Takeout Meals

The venerable La Jolla restaurant is back and will begin featuring a rotating menu of three-course dinners, including a vegetarian option, for online ordering with curbside pickup. Available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the meals must be ordered by noon on the Wednesday prior; this week’s choices including herb-crusted rack of lamb and Faroe Island salmon. The restaurant is also offering CSA boxes from longtime partner Chino Farms that are also available for pickup.

Galaxy Taco Begins Weekend To-Go Service

The La Jolla Shores eatery is doing a four-course dinner for two that can be picked up on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays that must be ordered by noon two days before your chosen pickup day. The meals include entrees like wood-grilled trout and vegetarian enchiladas accompanied by guacamole and chips, Caesar salad, and churros with Mexican chocolate. Add-ons include batched margaritas or michelada mix.

Common Theory and Realm of the 52 Remedies Return to Convoy

The beer-focused eatery and its companion cocktail den are gearing up to reopen on Wednesday, May 13. Operating daily for takeout and curbside pickup, Common Theory will offer a condensed menu of its most popular dishes as well as a meal package offering on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays that will features smoked meat and sides from chef Jonathan Bautista. Batched cocktails complete with garnishes from Eater’s Bar of the Year, Realm of the 52 Remedies, will also be available for takeout.

MAY 1

Salt & Straw Restarts Local Pickup and Delivery

The small-batch ice cream company reopens most of its West Coast shops today; both the Little Italy and One Paseo locations of Salt & Straw will now be open daily from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., offering contactless pickup as well as local delivery. Pints of its popular flavors, including Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons and Honey Lavender, will be available along with waffle cones, with more items being added in the coming weeks.

Sushi Tadokoro Launches To-Go Lunch and Dinner Service

A member of the Eater 38 and one of San Diego’s essential sushi bars, Sushi Tadokoro will reopen today in the Old Town area for takeout. Operating Thursday through Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for dinner, the restaurant’s to-go menu includes sashimi, nigiri sushi, and cut rolls as well as an omakase set and various appetizers. For a limited time, it’s also offering a discount on bottles of sake.

The Heart & Trotter Hosts a Whole Hog Roast

In partnership with San Diego-based pitmasters The Rib Guys, the El Cajon Boulevard butcher shop will be roasting a whole pig in its parking lot this weekend and will have pulled pork sandwiches starting at noon on Sunday, May 3 until they’re sold out. The Heart & Trotter is also selling monthly a “Butcher’s Stash” of grass fed beef, local pork, and more, and offering 15% off to the hospitality industry, first responders, medical staff, and the military.

Pick Up a Cinco de Mayo Party from the Firehouse

The Pacific Beach eatery has a Cinco de Mayo package for takeout or delivery that includes six to seven servings of its Firehouse Margarita and supplies for a taco party including your choice of meat plus sides, tortillas, and all the fixings. For a limited time, Firehouse is also offering batched tiki drinks from sister bar The Grass Skirt like the Lava & Ice made with serrano-infused tequila, overproof Jamaican rum, lime, pineapple, coconut, and pomegranate.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens Does DIY Micheladas

The brewery’s Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurant locations in Escondido and Liberty Station are still open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will be offering a variety of Cinco de Mayo dishes for takeout and delivery, from carnitas nachos and churros to party packs featuring TJ-style hot dogs or tacos. To pair with the Mexican meals, Stone is also selling take-and-make michelada kits featuring its take on Mexican lagers, Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager, that include special pint glasses, michelada mix, fresh lime, and Tajin seasoning.

APRIL 28

Henebery Spirits Donates Sanitizer and Collects Funds for Service Industry

Henebery Spirits is one of the many local distilleries that have shifted production efforts into making sanitizer. Thus far, the Vista distillery has given away its product to the local hospitality industry as well as made a large donation to Father Joe’s Villages, which is including the sanitizer in its hygiene kits. Henebery, which has partnered with Shadow Ridge Spirits to share production of the sanitizer — made with beer donated from Wild Barrel Brewing, and Latitude 33 — has made the sanitizer available online and at its tasting room on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. It’s accepting donations for the sanitizer, which are going to a fund for the local service industry.

Malahat Reopens in Miramar with Sanitizer

Malahat Spirits Co. temporarily closed last month but has been busy during its hiatus, creating hand sanitizer with beer provided by Ballast Point Brewing, Abnormal Beer Co., Saint Archer Brewing, and JuneShine. The Miramar distillery donated its first run of the product to hospitals and first responders and recently reopened its tasting room on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. for spirits sales; while supplies last, Malahat is also giving away a four ounce bottle of sanitizer per person.

Trust Restaurant and Tribute Pizza Star in Cooking Channel Show

Two local eateries are featured in an upcoming episode of the Cooking Channel’s Food Paradise. Dubbed “Flame On!”, the show airs this Sunday, May 3 at 10pm|9c with segments on everything from spicy food to torched desserts. Trust Restaurant and executive chef Brad Wise will be showcasing the flame-grilled meats on Trust’s menu, including a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye and a 14-ounce dry-aged pork chop, while North Park’s Tribute Pizza will be highlighted for its wood-fired oven.

Newport Meats to Pop Up at Poseidon in Del Mar

With restaurants temporarily closed or paring down its offerings, foodservice suppliers around the country have pivoted to selling directly to the public. One of Southern California’s premier meat suppliers, Newport Meat, will be in San Diego on Friday, May 1 at Poseidon Restaurant in Del Mar. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the company will be running contactless event featuring drive-thru pickup of meat and other ingredients that are now available for online ordering. Packages include a Cinco de Mayo-themed “Fiesta Box” and produce box as well as a 10 pounds of baby back ribs, 24 chicken breasts, and a “Meat Lovers Combo” filled with porterhouse steaks, filet mignons, and burgers.

Luna Grill Launches Food Program for Hospital Workers and Kids

San Diego-based Luna Grill has launched a new giving program called “Feeding the Frontline”, employing its catering team to feed local hospital staff with 20,000 meals over the coming weeks. The Mediterranean fast-casual eatery is also running a hot lunch program for kids with “The Good Card” promotion, donating a fresh, healthy meal to a San Diego child in need through The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank for every $5 gift card increment purchased. Luna Grill has pledged to donate 30,000 meals; gift cards can be purchased online and used for takeout or delivery orders at any of Luna Grill’s 50 locations.

APRIL 21

Trust Restaurant Group Consolidates Takeout Efforts

With Cardellino and Rare Society both ceasing takeout operations, the Trust Restaurant Group is reopening Fort Oak in Mission Hills and will be offering a new menu that pulls favorite dishes from all four of its restaurants including Trust, its flagship. Takeout service starts this Wednesday, April 22 and will be available Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for curbside pickup as well as delivery via Uber Eats, Postmates and Grubhub. The online menu, which features Trust’s hush puppies, Fort Oak’s 45-day dry-aged ribeye, and Cardellino’s spicy vodka fusilli, also includes signature cocktails to-go.

Jeune et Jolie Reteams with Campfire

The Carlsbad restaurant siblings have resumed takeout service, with drive-up, curbside pickup available at Jeune et Jolie on Fridays and Saturdays between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dubbed “Jolie Fire” and inspired by the Caribbean, the new pop- up family-style menu must be ordered online in advance for two or four diners, or any multiple of such, and includes entree options such as jerk chicken and whole fried snapper with sides like spiced yams and coconut rice with peas. Large format tropical cocktails, served in 750ml bottles, are also available.

Christmas Comes Early to North Park

This week, The Gluten Free Baking Co. will be selling festive holiday foods, including pumpkin spice cupcakes, eggnog cream puffs, and candy cane brownies, from Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m at its 30th Street retail shop. The bakery is also offering pre-order menu, which can be picked up at a variety of locations, that features everything from Christmas cookie boxes and a Christmas quiche to cupcake decorating kits and a vegan bread package.

Campaign Launches to Support Locals

The Downtown Condominium Community (DCC) has set up DOWNTOWN CARES, a new campaign to raise funds for local hospitality workers the food insecure. Tax deductible donations will go directly to two non profits — the Big Table, which provides triage grants to help with food or housing and to Kitchens for Good to support its hunger relief meal program; donations to the fund up to $5,000 will be matched by a Kitchen for Good sponsor.

Hospitality Group Provides Free Meals for Staff

The Verant Group, which operates 10 bars and restaurants around San Diego including Mavericks, barleymash, True North, and Spill the Beans, has been delivering meals to healthcare workers as well as continuing to feed its large team of employees. Free cooked meals (more than 1,000 so far) have been made available to staff for pickup Tuesday through Friday at The Smoking Gun.

APRIL 15

Puesto Hosts a Virtual Industry Relief Dinner

As an outreach to the hospitality industry, Puesto is inviting restaurant and bar workers to join in on a virtual dinner party and cooking/cocktail demo this Thursday, April 16. Starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow, at The Headquarters at Seaport Village, the eatery will be giving out complimentary care packages that include all the ingredients to make a dinner for two featuring chicken rajas tacos and drink called “Quarantender’s Choice” made with pineapple juice, apricot cordial and Casamigos tequila. Available until supplies last, the free packages can also be ordered via Postmates starting at 11 a.m. Recipients will be given instructions to join a Zoom video conference scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in which Puesto Chef Erik Aronow and Bar & Spirits Creative Director Beau du Bois will lead a short class on how to prepare the meal.

Mostra Coffee Sells Gratitude Boxes for Charity

The local roastery, which is currently offering free coffee to healthcare workers at its cafe, has put together a special gift called the Mostra Gratitude Box that features its Thank You blend coffee plus optional add-ons like mochi and cookies. Designed to be sent as a gesture of thanks, proceeds from the sales of the gift packages will go to the CDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund.

Sponsor Meals for Healthcare Workers

Imperial Beach’s Doggus Gus has launched a program that provides the opportunity to sponsor a catered lunch of its signature bacon-wrapped hot dogs and cheeseburgers that will be delivered to area hospitals including South Bay Urgent Care in Imperial Beach and Chula Vista’s Scripps Mercy Hospital and Sharp Medical Center. Hospital staff will get a printed memo detailed your donation and sponsors will receive recognition on social media as well as a free facemask.

Gleaning Produce for San Diego’s Food Insecure

Hundreds of pounds of lemons and Valencia oranges grown at North County’s Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa are being harvested by volunteers from local nonprofit ProduceGood, which collects excess fruits and vegetables for children and adults in need. The organization, which regularly supplies the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego, held a quick pick session at the resort this week as part of the ongoing partnership, with the citrus going to the Community Resource Center and Kitchens for Good.

Seek Comfort in Chocolate

Artisan chocolatier Dallmann Confections, which was founded in Austria but it a locally-based company that operates a retail shop at The Headquarters at Seaport Village, has launched a new line of of chocolate survival gifts to offer comfort during the crisis. Made from high quality European chocolate, the collections are dubbed the ‘Sanity Saver,’ ‘Chocolate and Chill’, and ‘Chocolate Makes Everything Better’ and can be purchased online and shipped nationally.

APRIL 10

Casero Taqueria Feeds Healthcare Workers

Casero Taqueria co-owner Clayton Wheeler, with help from his father Mark who owns Encinitas Ford, will be donating 1,400 burritos to the local healthcare community. Prepared at the Carlsbad eatery, the burritos will start being delivered on Monday, April 13 starting with 200 burritos for Tri-City Hospital in Oceanside. Donations will continue through Wednesday with more burritos being dropped off at Scripps Encinitas, UCSD Medical Center, Scripps Memorial, and Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Waypoint Public Providing Groceries to Senior

Local hospitality group ELE Collective, which runs Waypoint Public and Park & Rec, is partnering with non profit Grace Lutheran Developments (Grace Tower, Cathedral Arms, Trinity Manor, GLD Housing) on “Spread the Love,” a project that will provide low-income seniors in Hillcrest with needed groceries. This Saturday, April 11, volunteers from Waypoint Public will be assembling 500 grocery bags hand-delivering them to the residents’ front doors. As a token of appreciation, Grace Lutheran Developments, which develops affordable housing for senior citizens, will be gifting each volunteer with a cash stipend, giving a bit of financial support to the laid-off restaurant workers.

Food Drive at AleSmith Brewing Company

The Miramar brewery is running a food drive to benefit the San Diego Food Bank. Through May 8, non-perishable food donations can be dropped off at the brewery’s gift shop on Monday and Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Donations can also be made online directly to the food bank or via a virtual food drive. Those who donate through AleSmith will have opportunities to win prizes through an opportunity drawing, with the grand prize of a gift basket of merchandise and a $100 gift card.

$1 Beer Crowlers for Healthcare Workers and First Responders

Saint Archer Brewing Company is offering $1 32-ounce beer crowlers to all frontline workers, from healthcare professionals to first responders who show appropriate credentials at its Miramar and Leucadia locations. The ongoing deal is available from noon to 7 p.m. with a limit of six crowlers per person and 25% off orders of additional beer. The brewery is also donating $1 from every six-pack sold at its tasting rooms to the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG).

Free Coffee for Families in Need

South Park specialty coffee roaster Seven Seas Roasting Co. has partnered with Kitchens for Good to donate 120 pounds of freshly-roasted coffee to food-insecure families in the San Diego area. The non profit Kitchens for Good, which is hosting virtual dinners to raise funds for its hunger relief program, distributes thousands of meals every week.

APRIL 1

Juniper & Ivy Launches Takeout Menu

Casual counterpart The Crack Shack has been doing takeout and delivery since the county banned dine-in service, but Juniper & Ivy is just joining the new normal with a meal service that’s set to debut this Thursday, April 2. Called Juniper & Ivy at Home, the pre-fixe takeout menu from executive chef Anthony Wells and chef de cuisine Masafumi Kojima will be available Thursdays through Saturdays, featuring a three-course comfort food-styled menu with options priced at $25 or $35 per person. This week’s entree offerings include meatloaf, pork pot pie, or mac and cheese, which come with salad, Parker House rolls, and dark chocolate pudding for dessert. Bottles of wine are also available to add onto any order. Weekly menus are released on Tuesdays, and orders and pick up times must be placed online before Wednesday evening.

Virtual Dinner Party and Fundraiser

Miss dining with other people? Local non profit Kitchens for Good is taking its Dinners for Good series online with a event scheduled for Thursday, April 2 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The virtual dinner party will have hosts Tommy “The Fishmonger” Gomes, Chef Logan from the Cellar Door, and Gary McIntire from Collins & Coupe showing how they whip up recipes with pantry items in their own home kitchens; join in by cooking in tandem or enjoying some takeout. The goal of the dining experience is to raise funds organization’s hunger relief meal program — its emergency response efforts to make 7,000 meals a week for San Diegans affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Register online for details.

Digital Recipe Book Features Sam the Cooking Guy

Local hospitality group Grain & Grit Collective has temporarily suspended operations at all of its eateries, which include the Little Italy Food Hall and the recently-opened Graze by Sam the Cooking Guy. To help support its employees during this time, the group has launched the Grain & Grit Collective Hardship Relief Fund along with several fundraising initiatives, including a $10 digital recipe book that features recipes from Sam the Cooking Guy, Carnitas’ Snack Shack, Not Not Tacos, and the Little Italy Food Hall Bar. 100% of proceeds from the book will go to its staff, as well as all of the profits from a limited edition t-shirt, while 30% of profits from gift card sales will also be donated to the fund.

Hotel Group Creates Employee Care Packages

Evans Hotels, which runs The Lodge at Torrey Pines, the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa and the Bahia Resort Hotel have partnered with local vendors and farms to provide care packages for its team of over 400 employees. On a bi-weekly basis, the group is running a drive-through center at the Bahia where employees can pick up family packs of home necessities as well as groceries provided by Specialty Produce, Eben-Haezer Poultry Ranch, West Coast Prime Meats, Premier Meats & Crystal Bay, Bread & Cie, Shamrock Foods, Sysco, Ryan Brother’s Coffee, The Chefs’ Warehouse and Challenge Dairy.

Local Liquor Company Donates to Emergency Fund

Skrewball Whiskey co-owners Brittany and Steve Yeng, whose family also runs OB Noodle House and The Holding Company, have donated $100,000 to the California Restaurant Association Foundation and its Restaurants Care program, the non-profit’s emergency assistance fund for restaurant workers facing illness, injury, personal crisis, or natural disaster that provides grants for basic needs. The funds will be used to address requests for financial assistance.

MARCH 26

Cutwater Spirits starts donating sanitizer

San Diego’s largest distillery is now using its Miramar facility to produce and bottle an 80 percent alcohol hand sanitizer made in accordance with FDA guidelines. Cutwater Spirits will begin donating its first batches sanitizer on March 30, starting with San Diego area non profits including The San Diego Food Bank, a longtime charity partner. The distillery also plans to donate funds to help the organization prepare over 50,000 meals to distribute throughout San Diego.

Restaurants Kickstart Employee Relief Measures and Funds

One of San Diego’s largest hospitality collectives, the Cohn Restaurant Group, has had to temporarily lay off 1,700 workers across its more than 20 restaurants but has taken steps to continue to support its staff by creating the CRG Employee Assistance Fund, which is providing $500 Visa Gift Cards to its team members, and turning the kitchens at The Prado and 333 Pacific into food pantries where employees can pick up free family-style meals three days a week. The company has also been working to find its former employees other placements within the community. And through the resort is currently under a 30-day closure, Rancho Valencia is still paying its full-time and salary employees and launching efforts, including food drives and weekly raffles, to support its staff through the month-long shutter.

Recently-launched campaigns to support local restaurant staff include the Puffer Malarkey Collective Employee Relief Fund. Started by one of the first major hospitality groups to shutter its restaurants in response to the crisis, the Puffer Malarkey Collective has donated $10,000 to their fund, which will send all proceeds to its 367 furloughed staff members. And City Tacos, which has had to close all of its locations, has set up a wellness fund for its 69 workers who have been temporarily laid-off.

Donate Meals for Healthcare Workers

The owners of La Jolla’s Spitfire Tacos and Head Lettuce have partnered with the Simpser Kavod Fund non profit organization on the San Diego Ready Meals Fund, which will channel all donations into the preparation of meals for healthcare professionals assisting COVID-19 patients and isolated seniors. The first round of meals, set to be delivered on March 27, will go to nurses and doctors in the ICU at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and caregivers at The Season’s at La Jolla, an assisted living center.

Local Small Businesses Launch Craft Food Box

A collaboration between several local food companies including Gelato Love and Maestoso Foods by the team formerly behind Maestoso in Hillcrest, have launch Craft Box, a service delivers a variety of artisan food products to your door. Their $50 ‘Mixtery Edition’ box includes take and bake pinsa from chef Marco Maestoso, pasta from Monzu Fresh Pasta, coffee from Seven Seas Roasting, gelato from Gelato Love, and more. .