NOKOMIS – Pop’s Sunset Grill in Nokomis is one of the thousands of restaurants that has been forced to shut their doors and send their staff home amid the current public health crisis. But that didn’t stop their staff from prepping nearly 700 easy to cook at home meals for those in the hospitality industry that don’t know when they’ll be allowed to return to work.
“We have restaurant workers, primarily, from about six or seven neighboring restaurants that are all part of our community here…just wanted to give back to our community which we know is suffering,” said Joe Ferrell
The popular waterfront restaurant normally sees between 12 hundred to 14 hundred customers a day. But because of the coronavirus pandemic several of their staff hasn’t worked in two weeks. Ferrell, owner of Pop’s, says several food and service organizations, like Sysco, stepped up to the plate to make sure their employees can at least count on having a warm meal at night.
“Everybody is out of work is at a time they would normally make a bit chunk of their income for the year during season,” said Ferrell
Jaxon Wilberding is a server at Pop’s, he and a small group of staff, assembled the meal kits. Each kit contains the necessary ingredients and recipe to make Chicken Piccata.
Wilberding says he’s happy to be part of a community that cares to give back to their own.
“It’s honestly a really cool way to come together and help our community. Florida is mostly tourism based, so our restaurants are really feeling this coronavirus,” said Wilberding. “Anything helps really.”
Stephanie Brown, Pop’s General Manager, says in a crisis like this supporting local is now more important than ever.
“Supporting local is critical a number of people in our community, Sarah Lanky , has created a site promoting who’s doing curbside, who’s local,” said Brown. “This is the time the time to really support all the local businesses in our community.”
The staff at Pop’s says Friday morning from 9 to 10 they’ll hold another curbside food-drive open to the public for anyone who’d like to take home a free meal kit. Pop’s Sunset Grill is located at 112 Circuit Rd Nokomis, Florida 34275-3006.
The restaurant is closed to the public for takeout or curbside orders for the foreseeable future.
