Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotero Transform Georgia Restaurant Into Pop-Up Grocery Store

“The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus and executive producer Greg Nicotera have come up with a novel way to give back during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by transforming their Georgia restaurant into a curbside pop-up grocery store.

They’re still offering curbside food service at Nic & Norman’s gastrobub-style restaurant in Senoia, Georgia — near where the AMC zombie epic has been filming for the past decade — but they’ve expanded their menu considerably to incorporate some of those much-needed items people are struggling to find at grocery stores.

Yes, that means they have toilet paper, as well as several other staples. The guys have partnered with restaurant distributor Sysco Foods, who are sitting on a stockpile of these goods themselves thanks to the closures and dramatic reductions in hours and business for many restaurants.

“We’ve got toilet paper. We’ve got sanitizer. We’ve got dry goods. We’ve got vegetables. We’ve got all kinds of stuff that you can’t get right now in most grocery stores,” co-owner Scott Tigchelaar told Fox 5 Atlanta.

Just like with many grocery stores, Nic & Norman’s has modified their online menu to incorporate the addition of these grocery items, so all people need to do is make their selections online and swing through at their appointed pickup time.

A quick glance at the site shows they not only offer those hard-to-find items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, but also staples like milk, eggs, bread, various meats, flour, sugar and more — though it is worth nothing many of these items are available in restaurant-sized quantities. Though in uncertain times where we don’t know how long self-isolation mandates might be around, we imagine few people have a problem with that.

As to why they’ve come up with this innovative approach during these unprecedented times, Reedus said it’s a way of saying thank you to the community for embracing the show all these years. “It’s a way to keep our employees employed and doing something good for the town that’s been so good for us,” he said.

It’s a great way to get much-needed supplies to the people while at the same time helping out both restaurants and their suppliers who are all suffering economically during the pandemic. Here’s hoping other restaurants consider creative ways to partner with their distribution partners to better serve their communities, and maybe help out their bottom line, too.

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