NEW ORLEANS —
People from all over the country are having food shipped to them from a famous New Orleans restaurant. Commander’s Palace has been busy filling as many orders as they can and it’s allowed them to bring some of their staff back while also offering people comfort in their favorite food.
“We are trying to not only transport food but transport experiences and give people some warmth,” said Lelia Lambert, head of business strategy & talent development at Commander's Palace.
COVID-19 forced Commander’s Palace to stop welcoming dine-in customers so the restaurant partnered with the international shipping company ‘Goldbelly’ and it took off with orders coming from just about every state. Now, cardboard boxes and silver insulated bags outnumber people at the restaurant.
“There’s a max we can do per day (50) and we’ve been meeting that max every day,” said Lally Brennan, co-proprietor of Commander's Palace. “Gosh, people from all over.”
Lambert says they’ve received orders from 49 states, all except except Hawaii. The success has allowed them to bring back a few employees.
“It’s been able to allow us to have a few people working for us again,” said Brennan. “Slowly but surely we’ve brought a few more people in to help.”
There’s classic turtle soap, garlic bread, lacquered quail stuffed with boudin and pecan pie with prices between 69 dollars to 240 dollars.
“In this situation, there are about 15 different pieces of packaging alone,” said Lambert “so it’s a bit pricey but it’s what it takes to get it to you safely.”
The restaurant has shipped out hundreds of meals for birthdays, Mother’s Day, and lots of graduations with each box staff sending a special message, too.
“If we know it’s someone’s birthday we will put balloons and the celebration banner that we put on the chef’s hat,” said Brennan. “You know, just have a party in a box.”
“Food brings back a lot of memories,” added Lambert. “A lot of warmth, a lot of comfort, that’s something we just need right now.”
There is still no word on when the restaurant will reopen the dining room.
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