With COVID-19 causing restaurants to close and the economy to crash, Carrboro United is attempting to keep businesses afloat, inject money into the local economy and provide a safe method for families to buy food.
Carrboro United is a food hub started by Tom Raynor, retired CEO of Fleet Feet, Acme Food & Beverage Co. and a group of local business leaders in March 2020, shortly after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ordered bars and restaurants to close.
The Carrboro United website allows customers to order restaurant-quality food and other products from various local restaurants, including meals for four from Acme, Amante, Glasshalfull and other restaurants, as well as bags of coffee beans from Carrboro Coffee Roasters. Most meals for four cost between $30 to $60.
Raynor reached out to Acme Food & Beverage Co. because he said he was worried about the town and the industry. Raynor and Acme worked together to figure out how to scale the standard restaurant takeout model and go on to recruit other local restaurants and small businesses.
“Tom Raynor came to us and said, ‘I’m worried about the town. I’m worried about every single business in this town. I’m worried about you guys. I’m worried about the farmers,’” Francesca Mason, Business Manager at Acme Food & Beverage Co., said in a video on the Carrboro United website.
Carrboro United ran into some initial challenges that were overcome through help from the community.
“Our first challenge was space for pickup and food storage,” McKenzie Reinhold, organizer of Carrboro United, wrote in an email. “The community really stepped up by letting us use the 300 E. Main parking lot, and US Foods donated a refrigerated truck.”
The food hub has also helped the community by keeping restaurant employees working and giving local people safe access to restaurant food.
“I get Carrboro United twice a week,” sophomore Lucas Daley said. “It’s given me an opportunity to try new restaurants that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
After customers place their order online, they drive through the 300 E. Main parking lot on the pickup day that they select. Pickup days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Carrboro United staff members place orders in the trunk of the customer’s car without making contact with the customer, in addition to wearing masks and gloves to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
“I like that Carrboro United is safer. I feel a lot more comfortable buying from Carrboro United than I do actual restaurants,” Ian Lim, a Carrboro United customer, said.
Reinhold wrote that the organization has doubled capacity by adding a second US Foods truck.
Carrboro United has also made the ordering process more efficient for customers by allowing people to order for all three hub days at the beginning of the week rather than ordering for each individual day separately.
“We started with a small group of local restaurants and have been adding when possible every week. Overall, everyone has said it has been a very positive experience,” Reinhold wrote.
Carrboro United is encouraging other communities to follow in its footsteps and create their own local food hubs. The Carrboro United website has a section providing basic instructions and tips for how to build a food hub.
“It is an exportable model. It can be exported to other communities. I hope we will let them know that they need to get ready, and they can use this model right away,” Raynor said in a video on the Carrboro United Website.
