Billionaire Boys Club Member Forum (BBCMF)

[02opida]

The closure of restaurants across the country has left chefs and farmers with tons of produce and meat to dispose of in a hurry.

“We were busting at the seams with food,” said Ryan McCaskey, chef and owner of Chicago restaurant Acadia. He turned the parking lot behind the building into a free, open-air market for restaurant industry employees and neighbors. Other restaurants have been selling directly to consumers instead of in dining rooms that went dark as the coronavirus pandemic exploded in the U.S. last month.

The closures have also hit produce growers and processors such as GreenGate Fresh LLP, which supplies vegetables exclusively to restaurants and institutions including schools. Robby Barkley, GreenGate’s owner, said demand for his products evaporated by 70% almost overnight, prompting him to destroy some 250 acres of produce.

“We’re leaving perfectly good product in the field,” Mr. Barkley said. “It’s a complete and total loss.”