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Frozen margaritas to-go haven’t convinced Americans to order takeout en masse during the COVID-19 pandemic. So some restaurants are turning to merch like t-shirts and mugs to make ends meet, the WSJ reports.
- Turkey and the Wolf, a New Orleans sandwich shop, has sold $14,000 of merch since its dining room closed in March.
- Vero, a Cleveland Heights pizzeria, says merch is one of two remaining revenue streams.
Where customers can’t find Pies 'n’ Thighs mugs on their own, foodies are stepping in. New Yorker food critic Helen Rosner rounds up restaurant merch on her Instagram stories. Then there’s Haus of Merch, a directory for restaurants’ non-food fare.
It’s a dollop in the bucket. Some eateries have used merch proceeds to pay furloughed workers. But souvenir sales haven’t come close to covering other looming expenses like rent.
My takeaway: Restaurant owners like David Chang say the only real fix is for the federal government to step in to support restaurants—and their landlords.