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Schnuck Markets grows Local Grab and Go program with Black-owned restaurants

St. Louis grocer forms partnerships with local businesses to offer menu items in stores

Russell Redman

July 30, 2020

3 Min Read
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Under the Local Grab and Go program, selected Schnucks stores in the St. Louis area carry local restaurant menu items in deli grab-and-go coolers and the frozen department.Schnuck Markets

St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets is expanding its grab-and-go meal partnerships with locally owned restaurants, now with a focus on teaming up with Black-owned businesses.

To assist St. Louis-area eateries hit hard financially during the coronavirus pandemic, Schnucks in late April launched Local Grab and Go, a program to carry a selection of restaurant menu items at some of its supermarkets. The effort began with the rollout of meals, side dishes, snacks and other offerings from six local restaurants — Revel Kitchen, Crispy Edge, Seoul Taco, Nudo House, Crushed Red and Hot Box Cookies — to deli grab-and-go coolers and the frozen department at selected Schnucks stores in the St. Louis market.

Schnucks said Thursday that customers now will find offerings from area Black-owned restaurants Royally Baked, The Fattened Caf, Patty’s Cheesecakes, Bold Spoon Creamery, Cathy’s Kitchen and Ms. Piggies’ Smokehouse at designated stores.

“We’re committed to supporting our neighboring restaurants at a time when many are struggling because of pandemic restrictions on space and occupancy,” explained Andy DeCou, specialty deli category manager at Schnucks, who said he and other Schnucks associates sought more local restaurant owners interested in partnering with the grocer to extend their reach to customers. “After reading ‘Black-Owned Restaurants to Support in St. Louis Right Now’ in Feast Magazine, we called these restaurateurs and invited them to sell their unique offerings in our stores.”

Related:Schnuck Markets goes grab-and-go with local restaurant meals

Of the new restaurants joining the Local Grab and Go program, Bold Spoon Creamery has menu items at five Schnucks stores, Royally Baked at seven stores, The Fattened Caf at three stores, Patty’s Cheesecakes at four stores, Cathy’s Kitchen at five stores and Ms. Piggies’ Smokehouse at four stores.

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Bold Spoon Creamery founder and owner Rachel Burns displays her company's ice cream at a Schnucks store.

 

St. Louis-based Bold Spoon Creamery is offering pints of its lemon curd, roasted peach, garden mint, goat cheese and fig, and salted chocolate ice creams in the frozen section at Schnuck stores in Woods Mill, Lindbergh, Ladue, Des Peres and Richmond, Mo. According to Rachel Burns, founder and owner of Bold Spoon Creamery founder, the partnership with Schnucks provides “an exceptional opportunity” to her small business.

“As a St. Louis native, I’ve been coming to Schnucks my entire life. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to partner with Schnucks, a local business that shares our mission of supporting other local businesses,” said Burns, who operates family-owned Bold Spoon Creamery with her husband, son and brother. “We use local ingredients in all of our ice cream, so this partnership not only helps us, but many other local businesses just like ours as well.”

Related:EatWell gives Schnuck Markets ‘a great learning platform’

The six additions bring the participating food vendors in the Local Grab and Go program to 13. Schnucks also has added St. Louis-based Field to Fire (recently rebranded from Kitchen Kulture), offering its yellow tomato gazpacho and green tea soba noodles with roasted mushroom and tofu at stores in Kirkwood, Hampton and Richmond, Mo. Plans call for the grocer to add several more restaurants in the coming weeks.

Overall, Schnuck Markets operates 113 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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