Restaurants

Cutwater Spirits Offers Free Lunch to San Diego Restaurant Workers Impacted by Pandemic

The local distillery’s free food pick-up event goes down on Aug. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Cutwater tasting room on Distribution Avenue in Miramar

Courtesy of Cutwater Spirits

San Diego’s Cutwater Spirits distillery is finding a way to pitch in during the pandemic: The company will offer free lunch to support locals in the restaurant and bar industries impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Cutwater plans to host a free, curbside food pick-up at its Cutwater Spirits Tasting Room & Kitchen this Saturday in Miramar. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Those who work in the restaurant and bar industry can sign up for the event here. Proof of industry association will be required, and that can include something like an old paystub, a business card, or even “a photo of them on their phone in action on the job.”

The grub giveaway will feature a to-go dish of chile verde-braised chicken with avocado-lime coleslaw, cotija cheese, radish, cilantro, and pickled red onions served on a brioche bun with spiced chicharrones. Quantities are limited, so it’s best to sign up ahead of time.

Like many small businesses, San Diego’s restaurant/bar industry has been hit hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. When the virus reached San Diego County in mid-March, restaurants were ordered to shut down for more than two months.

Restaurants and bars reopened in late May but about 6 weeks later – as COVID-19 cases surged in San Diego County and across California – health officials ordered indoor dining rooms to close again, as well as bars that don’t serve food. Currently, San Diego County’s Public Health Order allows restaurants to operate only if they have an outdoor dining area.

And, as San Diego County remains on California’s COVID-19 monitoring list, it is unclear when those restrictions on bars and restaurants will change.

Cutwater Spirits – which, by the way, began as a side project under Ballast Point Brewing before the company branched off on its own in 2017 – said this is the second such free lunch it has recently held in support of its fellow industry workers impacted by COVID-19.

To see other nice ways that San Diegans have pitched in during the pandemic, read this.

And to catch up on lifestyle news around San Diego, including our food and drink scene, listen to our Scene in San Diego Featuring Eater podcast here, or below:

Listen/subscribe to the Scene in San Diego podcast to get the latest local lifestyle stories and news from our local food and drink scene. As we continue to adjust to life (back and forth, back and forth) in these times of the coronavirus pandemic, the way we enjoy our city has changed. We’ll keep you up to speed on how those changes impact the things you love to do in our city. Tap here to find Scene in San Diego wherever you listen to podcasts.

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