Many suppliers are trying to sell food directly to consumers, but it takes time to rejig complex supply chains and deal with new storage and distribution requirements.
Natoora, which supplies David Chang’s Momofuku Ko, London steakhouse Hawksmoor and Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, said it’s giving away unsold food to charities and churches. It's also trying to sell more produce in stores and started a food-delivery app for households as a way to recoup some lost revenue.
Still, it takes a lot of new retail customers to replace a restaurant. A medium-sized neighborhood eatery in London buys about 100 tons of fruit and vegetables a year, Fubini estimated.
“Our revenue in Paris has gone to zero, our New York revenue has gone pretty much to zero,” said Fubini. Restaurant sales account for about two-thirds of Natoora’s revenue, which was expected to be 45 million pounds ($52.8 million) this year. He’ll likely lose a substantial part of the business because of the virus, he said.
From the article:
There are a few resturaunts here that are selling off their stuff from distributors. This is getting pretty crazy....