Oakland’s alaMar Kitchen & Bar is about to start serving 1,500 free meals per week to restaurant workers who have been displaced and derailed by the coronavirus outbreak.
Located at 100 Grand Ave., chef Nelson German’s popular seafood restaurant has just issued this announcement:
“We are here for you, Oakland! … Due to the closure of restaurants in California, we have an urgent need for assistance for the thousands of restaurant workers who find themselves suddenly without work, without a paycheck, and without a support system.
“Independent restaurants are at the center of the vibrant growth in America. For the past decade, we have relied on the stellar hospitality and positive PR of the independent restaurant scene to make this a city we are incredibly proud of. But now restaurant workers need your help more than ever. If we don’t take a stand and do something now, there will not be an independent restaurant industry to speak of when the coronavirus crisis is over.”
Starting this Wednesday, April 8, “in partnership with @makersmark and @leeinitiative @chefedwardlee, @chefnel4 and @dcpatterson, we will turn @alamaroakland into a relief center for restaurant workers who have been laid off or have had a significant reduction in hours and/or pay,” the announcement reads.
Those who can “show some identifying paperwork to prove recent employment at a restaurant — a paystub will suffice in most cases” — are invited to collect meals between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday evenings at the restaurant, where staff will provide free meals via contactless curbisde pickup. Hundreds of meals will be offered per night, as funding and supplies permit.
No disposable cutlery will be included.
The restaurant is also seeking donations of produce, meat, to-go containers, gloves, and other supplies (email the restaurant at [email protected]) as well as monetary contributions via The Lee Initiative.
