August 2020 • Volume 16 • Issue 8
QUEENS CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS
FROM DELIVERING GOODS TO DELIVERING HOPE A courier company has found a way to stimulate the local economy, keep restaurant workers employed, and feed frontline heroes, senior citizens and those in need. And it all began with a random act of kindness. Since April 1, RDS Delivery in Long Island City has delivered over 137,000 meals to healthcare workers and those in need. It started with a call to Larry Zogby, the owner of RDS delivery, from Andy Duddleston, managing partner of The Little Beet in Manhattan. The chain is a long-time client of RDS Delivery, which delivers products between their seven metro-area restaurants. Duddleston told Zogby he had an inventory of food he Meals ready to be delivered to frontline workers being picked up at Just Salad. would not be able to serve because he expected the governor to shut down the state, including restau- Mulligan, CEO of The Little Beet worked together for years, how- organization has sent over 92,000 rants. Brands said. ever during the COVID-19 crisis meals to hospital workers made by He asked him to help him find Soon RDS was delivering over we have found that we can band restaurants that lease space from a way to get the food to those 25,000 meals a week, working with together to serve our city in new them. who needed it, and the economic other restaurants to not only hospital ways that are very meaningful. They turned to RDS to deliver slowdown meant RDS Delivery had staff, but also those who depend on “From taking donations to food those meals. excess capacity. soup kitchens and other communi- banks when we closed restaurants “Every time we did one of those “Andy called on us to move the ty-based organizations. to stepping up for daily deliveries deliveries, we would take photos excess food inventory to soup kitch“In the process, we’ve become to hospitals, frontline workers, and and post them on our social media,” ens and nonpart of a big- our cities most vulnerable and food said Zogby. “We shared these phoprofits,” said ger effort that challenged, Larry just says ‘yes’ and tos with Food First. They, in turn Zogby. “We not only feeds figures out how to make it happen,” shared them with their donors, resloved the idea people, but she continued. taurant owners and management of helping to also keeps Soon, Mulligan got a call from and posted them on their social put that food restaurants in Samantha Katz, CEO of Chefs media platforms. to good use business and With Spirits. Katz is also con“Those photos generated interinstead of it their workers nected to the World Kitchen, a est, and that interest spawned donagoing to waste e m p l o y e d , ” nonprofit started by celebrity chef tions,” he continued. “The more we or ending up in Zogby said. José Andrés to fight hunger in the did and the more we posted, the the garbage.” “I was truly face of tragedies. more steam the effort generated. Then, one amazed and They asked Little Beet to prepare People were able to see where their RDS Delivery provides messenger, of the restauproud at how and deliver 7,000 meals per week donations were going, and they conrush, same-day and next-day deliver- we all worked for World Kitchen, and Mulligan in tributed more.” rant’s patrons ies and scheduled delivery services. raised $30,000 together dur- turn asked RDS to help them those RDS Delivery is currently delivThey run dedicated routes as well to feed fronting this pan- meals to frontline workers. ering meals for Food First from as a Rent-a-Messenger program for line workers, demic for the “The next thing you know, we’re Armani Ristourante, Avere, NY special projects. Their warehousmaking it posgood of the delivering 7,000 to 10,000 meals a Vintners, Little Beet, Eat Real Tacos, ing capabilities include storage sible for Little whole. I am week combined,” recalled Zogby. Just Salads, Juice Press, Sushi Ito, and retrieval, and they also provide Beet restau- professional mailroom management. a firm believ- “Everything aligned to make that Stout and 5 Guys to hospitals and rants to make er that good initial act of kindness reverberate.” community-based organizations. Learn more at RDSDelivery.com. anywhere things can The Little Beet’s landlord, SL “It’s bringing back hundreds of from 250 to always arise Green Realty Corporation, was also employees who depend on those 500 meals a day for hospital staff from a crisis.” looking for a way to support strug- paychecks to support their famiaround the city. “Larry and the entire RDS team gling restaurants. They donated lies,” said Zogby. “We’re hoping “I have no idea how we’re going are amazing partners for The Little $1 million and formed a nonprofit to deliver all that food,” said Becky Beet,” added Mulligan. “We have called Food First. As of July 3, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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