SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The phrase support your local restaurant has a double meaning at Broderick Restaurant in Midtown.
Mike Massei, general manager, says, since Thursday, they’ve been using the tips left behind by customers who purchase take-out to give away free meals.
“Every day, I’m taking the money that I made before and I’m buying dinner for anybody who is hungry,” says Massei.
Just like many other brick-and-mortar restaurants, Massei and his restaurant had to close their dining room and lose much of their workforce.
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Massei says the idea was to feed those who worked in the food service industry and lost their job, but, now, he says anyone who needs a meal can swing by.
“The fear is that, as resources dry up or people stay unemployed, there is going to be more of a need for this,” says Massei.
The free meals include a smoked half-chicken with mashed potatoes and root beer glazed ham. He says as long as people who purchase meals leave a tip behind, he will continue to use that money to give away meals.
But, food is just one of the items for purchase. The restaurant has also set up a market where you can purchase things like eggs, bread, and condiments.
“We have major distribution channels, and we have vendors that we can get bulk items in that maybe aren’t available in the grocery store or people don’t want to expose themselves to that many types of people,” says Massei.
He says as long as the restaurant stays open for business, they’ll do whatever they can to help out.
“Nobody knows what is going to happen. The goal is that nobody needs this but if they do, it’s here,” says Massei.
Broderick Restaurant is located in midtown on the corner of 18th and l street.
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