GRAND RAPIDS, MI - As great as a fresh, home-cooked meal can be, the allure of the convenience of favorite restaurants is always tempting. Now, SpartanNash is stepping in to keep that temptation alive and well. Ensuring that local consumers can still get meals from their favorite restaurants despite stay-at-home orders, SpartanNash recently launched an innovative pilot partnership with eight West Michigan restaurants.

“This is a win-win partnership for West Michiganders and local restaurants hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said SpartanNash EVP and Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer, Lori Raya. “Restaurants are bringing team members back to work, while families can enjoy some of their restaurant favorites, discover new ones, and help their local struggling restaurants. Together, we can and will build stronger communities through these local partnerships. For more than 100 years, our company has been headquartered here and a trusted provider of food, medicine, and essential household goods. Supporting our local communities, farmers, and food producers has always been vitally important to us and drives our vision to be a best-in-class company that feels local, where relationships matter.”

Each participating restaurant will create its patrons’ favorite menu items, which will be sold at select D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, Forest Hills Foods, and Ada Fresh Market locations. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be provided to the restaurants to help them remain strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a press release, participating restaurants include:

• Anna’s House
• Big O’s
• Cedar Springs Brewery
• City Built Brewery
• Donkey Taqueria
• Friesian Gastro Pub
• Osteria Rossa
• West Side Social

A complete list of restaurant menu items and the locations of the 25 pilot stores can be found at the SpartanNash website. The heat-and-serve meals will be located in the deli section of each participating D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, Forest Hills Foods, and Ada Fresh Market location.

In developing the pilot program, SpartanNash’s retail, merchandising, and marketing teams worked quickly to identify a diverse group of local restaurants that could transition to preparing heat-and-serve meals for purchase at the grocery store. SpartanNash’s quality assurance, food safety, legal, IT, and corporate affairs teams provided guidance. West Michigan Tag and Label also came on board to work directly with the restaurants and donate the restaurant-branded and ingredient labeling at no cost as a means of supporting participating local restaurants.

“Being in the food business, whether a grocery retailer, wholesaler, supplier, or restaurant, we all have something in common: helping create an exceptional experience for the guests we serve,” said Raya. “Now, more than ever, we want to provide not only the financial support to our restaurants, but the emotional connectivity to some of West Michigan’s ‘must have’ menu options.”

Foodservice operators need our support now more than ever, so ANUK extends our thanks to all retailers, distributors, and fresh produce growers who are supporting this integral industry. Keep checking back in with us as we bring you the latest reports.

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