The coronavirus pandemic has made a remarkable impact on grocery stores and chain restaurants. In some stores, even here in Rexburg, many supplies are sometimes harder to find than a needle in a haystack. The immense increase in demand for many items like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and certain foods have left consumers unsatisfied and distributors scrambling to meet that demand.
One restaurant in Rexburg decided to help with the issue by selling things they usually wouldn’t. Gator Jacks, located in Hemming Village, is a sandwich, soup and salad restaurant. The manager heard that many people in town couldn’t find certain supplies at the store, so they decided to start selling those very items people were looking for.
“The stuff that they [people] couldn’t find in our local grocery stores because of this odd high demand, our suppliers were able to get,” said Justin Zonts, manager of Gator Jacks.
Zonts said the store began selling things like beans, pasta, flour, sugar and even cleaning supplies. It didn’t take long for people to clear the new items out.
“We got out first order in on Friday morning and we were sold out by Saturday afternoon,” Zonts said. “Then we got another huge order on Monday, and we’ve been able to order several times now.”
This unique way of filling a need is allowing Gator Jacks to keep their employees too. Zonts said they will continue to sell the bulk items after the stay-home order is lifted. You can find what items are available on the Gator Jacks website.
You can check out the website here.