It’s a new kind of dinner roll.
This week, the coronavirus pandemic prompted nationwide business closures, leading to panic-fueled mass buying binges. However, an enterprising California Mexican restaurant has developed a novel way to both service customers’ shopping needs and help keep themselves afloat — by selling a $150 emergency taco kit, complete with four rolls of toilet paper.
Brittney Valles, co-owner of the state-mandated takeout-only Guerrilla Tacos in Los Angeles, was concerned about her mother exposing herself to COVID-19 while shopping for essentials. That’s when the idea dawned on her: “Why not get them from us?” she tells CNN.
So Valles and her co-workers compiled an all-in-one emergency taco pack complete with 30 eggs and four rolls of bathroom tissue scrounged from their vacant restrooms. This past week alone, brawls over bathroom tissue have erupted at Australian stores, while Oregon authorities are urging the public to stop dialing 911 over the purported TP shortage.
Along with TP, the kits feature a whopping 5 pounds of roasted chicken, 5 pounds of carne asada, quarts of green and red salsa, tortillas, onion, cilantro, rice and beans. The Tex-Mex team MacGyvered the taco fillings from the surplus leftovers that had accumulated during the COVID-caused customer drought.
It appears their impromptu survival kit is paying dividends. By Tuesday morning, Guerilla Tacos had sold a whopping 74 kits, which are available for $150 each on the company’s website.
Along with servicing TP hoarders, the emergency kits allow Valles to cover her employees’ salaries and health insurance. “It’s about keeping us healthy and alive,” says the chef, who plans to start selling cold brew coffee kits at another vendor as well.
Other restaurants haven’t been as fortunate. On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo mandated that all Empire State eateries revert to delivery and takeout only systems, which has left restaurants struggling to keep the lights on.
Guerilla Tacos isn’t the only business to cash in on the coronavirus panic. An Oregon distillery came to the rescue of hygiene freaks last week by selling homemade hand sanitizer moonshined from leftover vodka ingredients.
Now THAT’s an idea! Sell my books (see ads at side) for $25 with a side of a roll of toilet paper…plus shipping of course! Bwahahahahahahahahahahah!