Coronavirus Palm Beach County updates: Takeout meals and toilet paper? Yes, some restaurants have joined the bodega business.

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When one restaurant door closes, a pop-up bodega might open. That’s the case with a growing number of Palm Beach County food-and-drink establishments affected by the coronavirus shutdown of dine-in services.

In a new local dining world now focused on takeout and delivery, some restaurants also have morphed into makeshift food marts, selling everything from groceries to hand sanitizer to, yes, even toilet paper. And some days ago, one Delray Beach-born delivery service jumped into the convenience-store game: Delivery Dudes kicked off Dudes Bodega, a grocery-delivery service that's available in Boca, Delray and Boynton. The $5 flat-fee service is expected to expand to cities north within the next few weeks.

The last thing north county restaurateur Curtis Peery expected when he opened his long-awaited, New Orleans-themed restaurant Voodoo Bayou March 11 was that he would be opening a pop-up bodega in the space just days later. But that’s exactly what Peery has done at the new Palm Beach Gardens establishment as well as at his Calaveras Cantina restaurant in Jupiter. This is in addition to offering meals -- like hot-selling orders of fried chicken and biscuits -- for takeout and delivery.

"We’ve had a very good turnout of customers and the community in general," said Peery, whose onsite mini-marts sell steak, chicken, eggs, milk, cheese and other items. "We’re selling a lot of latex gloves as well. It’s been a hot item."

Farmer’s Table restaurants in North Palm Beach and Boca Raton are selling vacuum-sealed meals and bakery items. Lilo’s Streetfood on Lake Avenue and K Street in Lake Worth Beach has added pantry items and other household staples to its inventory.

Okeechobee Steakhouse fans can find the iconic restaurant’s hand-cut steaks, prepared foods and gourmet pantry items at its Okeechobee Prime Meat Market, which sits within easy walking distance from the steakhouse.

TooJay’s, the West Palm-based deli chain, launched a statewide "Groceries ‘Too’ Go" program Tuesday. That means customers can buy fresh meats (chicken breasts, salmon, ground beef), eggs by the dozen, sliced deli meats and cheeses, breads, plus paper towels (limit two) and toilet paper (limit four) onsite. Orders are taken by phone or in person at all Palm Beach County TooJay’s locations, except for the one at Boca Polo Shoppes.

Paris in Town, a cozy French cafe in North Palm Beach, has introduced "Convenience in Town," an onsite food mart selling fresh produce, dairy products, condiments, pantry items and a range of paper products, cleaning supplies and other new-normal items like gloves and wipes. Delivery is available for nearby areas.

In an email to customers, management said the mini-mart was opened "so that you may avoid greater exposure at the larger stores."

Salute Market, a popular restaurant and bar on PGA Boulevard, has been "doing grocery" for nearly three weeks in addition to hot-and-ready takeout meals, cocktails and wines, says owner Michelle Lefkowitz. Dubbed the Neighborhood Market, the pop-up bodega is selling fresh meats and basic groceries in bulk, she says. The top-selling items: NY strip steaks, ground beef and boneless chicken breasts.

"We will continue to evolve the offerings here based on our customer requests and needs," says Lefkowitz, who notes she may be adding items like bleach, toilet paper and gloves this week "because our customers asked."

Another PGA Boulevard restaurant owner has joined the bodega business. Avi Sekerel has turned his two Palm Beach Gardens cafes (Prosecco Cafe and The Dancing Crane at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club) and his Boca Raton cafe, Saquella, into pop-up markets. Sekerel’s inventory includes ground meats, fresh fish, prepared deli salads by the pound, eggs, milk, butter, fresh breads and pastries, some pantry items and wines -- plus sanitizers, gloves, toilet paper and soap. A sign of the times.

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