Less than six weeks ago, around 90 customers a day stepped inside the doors of Noe Valley butcher shop Baron's Meat & Poultry.

Now, it's more than 300.

As people's daily meal routines have been impacted by restaurant closures and long grocery store lines in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, one place they're turning is small local food shops. Baron's, located in a space that has housed a meat shop for more than 100 years, sits in a mostly residential area of the city and is within walking distance of hundreds of homes.

"Business has been incredible," says store manager Matt Ebling, who has worked 10 years as a butcher and another 10 as a restaurant chef. "It has been so busy since this all started. We’re all just grinding. With all the restaurants closed, people are eating at home. We have a good supply of everything, meat, liquor and a grocery section."

It's Wednesday at 1 p.m. when Ebling says he's embarrassed a rush of 60 people in the last two hours has drained the shop's inventory. But, honestly, Baron's offerings look plentiful compared to plenty of shelves at larger grocery stores in the area. The meat case is a carnivore lover's dream come true with brisket, flank steak, Denver steak, baseball steak, chuck roast, lamb racks, cured bacon, smoked beer sausages — all of it mostly from California farmers. Slabs of fish — wild caught rock cod, steelhead trout, filet of sole — glisten on the far end of the case. The store also sells many staples such as fresh produce, eggs, local beer from Fort Point and Russian River Brewing Company, Rancho Gordo beans, jars of pasta sauce, and really everything you need to make a delicious dinner.

CONTACT Baron's Meat & Poultry has two locations, including 1706 Church St. in San Francisco, which is open 12 - 6 p.m., seven days a week. Their second location is 1650 Park St. in Alameda, and is open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., seven days a week. See More Collapse

The boom in business has resulted in some crazy numbers. The shop used to sell 80 pounds of chicken a week, now they're selling that amount in a single day. Ground beef is especially popular and on a recent Sunday, Ebling said he sold 58 pounds of it. "In the past, when things were normal, I would grind 10 pounds of beef and that would be it for the day," he said.

In the first week after the shelter-in-placer order was issued, Ebling says customers were panic buying and easily spending $300 to $400 to stock their freezers. One customer spent $3,500. While the mad charge has waned, he's continuing to notice a change in people's shopping patterns. Regular customers used to come in daily and buy the meat they needed for that night's dinner. Now they shop once a week with a meal plan for the week.

"We are a very neighborhood butcher shop. I know the majority of customers by first name, and it’s nice to get community support," he says. "We're seeing lots of new faces too."

It's the same story at the Baron's location in the East Bay city of Alameda. "Our volume is up 50 percent or more," says the store's assistant manager Amanda Joost.

While many companies are laying off workers due to declining business, Baron's in San Francisco hired a new worker last week: Eric Minnich, an award-winning chef who helped earn Madera a Michelin star. Minnich was furloughed at Commissary in the Presidio when the restaurant closed due to the city's shelter-in-place order.

"It’s a good change of pace," he says. "I have evenings with my wife now. I think anyone with a good skill set, as long as you’re a good person and haven’t burned any bridges, you can pretty much go from job to job to job."

Baron's S.F. location is also looking to hire a second new employee and as hundreds of restaurants layoff workers, they should have plenty of candidates with food experience to choose from.

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Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email: agraff@sfgate.com.