- NYC restaurant The Nugget Spot donated more than 800 pounds of chicken nuggets after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Nugget Spot shut its doors after NYC restaurants were ordered to close or switch to pick-up and delivery.
- Owner Jason Hairston told Insider that he didn’t want all the extra food to go to waste.
- So, he and two staff members cooked up thousands of chicken nuggets, which they donated with plenty of sauce along with butterscotch pudding, eggs, salad, and more.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been a nightmare for New York City’s dining scene, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs as restaurants have either had to close their doors or switch to only pick-up and delivery.
But even in a time of crisis, many of these restaurants are still figuring out how they can help – and feed – others.
One such place is The Nugget Spot, a restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood that is dedicated to chicken nuggets (along with sandwiches, fries, mac and cheese, and a dessert called “Dank A** Brownies).
Jason Hairston, the owner and chef at The Nugget Spot, told Insider that he decided to temporarily shut the restaurant down on Wednesday as the pandemic crisis continues
"It's just been dramatic," he said. "We've had a crippling drop in sales. I tried to keep a few of my staff but, for the most part, I told them they should start filing for unemployment."
But there was still the matter of hundreds of pounds of chicken in his kitchen, waiting to be cooked. Hairston knew he could use the nuggets to do some good.
"I don't like to waste food, I think that's a shame," he said. "If we're going to close, we might as well get it to those in need."
Hairston first reached out to City Harvest, an NYC nonprofit that delivers surplus food in New York to those who need it most. The organization said it was being "inundated" at the moment and instead connected him with the Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC), another nonprofit that provides housing and services to thousands of New Yorkers.
With more than 800 pounds of chicken in the kitchen, Hairston and two members of his staff made thousands of nuggets in the restaurant to donate
They cooked up many of The Nugget Spot's creative specials, including the Cap'n Crunk Nugs (coated in Cap'n Crunch cereal), the Skinny Nugs (which are marinated in Cajun seasoning and baked, rather than fried), and The "Regs" (a traditional Southern-fried chicken nugget coated in homemade seasoned flour).
You can't have nuggets without sauce, so Hairston also included his O.G. Ranch, Nacho Queso, Smokin' J's BBQ sauce, and more.
And that wasn't all.
"We gave them everything perishable," Hairston said. "Some butterscotch pudding, some salad, eggs. Basically anything that could go bad that they can use before it does, they got it."
After the cooking was done, BRC staff came to the restaurant. They packed the nuggets themselves, transferring the food into their own containers as an extra precaution during the pandemic.
"If there's going to be some kind of silver lining to this, it's that people in need are getting food," Hairston said. "But you're also watching this happen and it's kind of like, is this the end? And you hope not, but at least the food isn't going to waste."
The Nugget Spot is one of many restaurants in the US that have begun feeding people in need during the ongoing pandemic
NYC restaurant Black Seed Bagels is offering free bagels every day of the week to hospitality workers who have lost their job, while San Francisco restaurant Che Fico is donating family meals that can feed 2-3 people each with the likes of baked bread, roasted chicken, and tiramisu every night.
Hairston said he's not surprised that so many restaurant workers have pivoted to helping those in need, even during a time when they are facing unprecedented obstacles of their own.
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"We're in the business of feeding people," he said. "There's something inherently good about that. It's not just food, there's some kind of hospitality to it as well, so I think that kind of plays a part."
"Restaurants operate as a family," he added. "You spend more time with these people than you do at home, so I think it's part of that whole hospitality in food service. You want to give people good things to eat, and there's a certain amount of joy you derive from that too. It's inherent to the business."
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When it comes to helping local businesses during this time, Hairston said ordering directly from restaurants that are still open - rather than using a third-party delivery app - is key
"Avoid the middleman," he said. "You'd be doing the small places a big favor by doing that. Those commissions are huge when it comes to the food sales."
"Uber Eats is waiving its fees for the customer, but it's still charging the restaurants," he added. "And Seamless is just deferring, all that's going to result in is a big chunk of cash when this blows over. It's hard enough as a small business, I don't want to operate just to pay them."
A spokesman for Uber Eats confirmed with Insider that the app will not change commission fees for restaurants at this time, but is now allowing businesses to access their earnings daily rather than the standard weekly pay cycle.
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Seamless announced on Monday that it would be deferring its commission fees for independent restaurants, while delivery app DoorDash is wiping commission fees for the next 30 days. Restaurants will not have to pay them back, the company said.
But delivery isn't the only way to help restaurants. Hairston also recommends buying merchandise and gift cards for local businesses, especially those that have decided to shut down for the time being.
At the end of the day, Hairston hopes that people will remember the places that they love - and show them lots of support - when social distancing becomes a thing of the past.
"I would just love for people to come back," he said. "When this is all over."
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