A popular restaurant in south Bristol has launched a drive-thru in its car park where people can pick up cooked meals and groceries without having to leave their car.
The Tobacco Factory is running the innovative service so it can continue to serve the people of Bristol and keep some of its staff employed over the coming months.
The North Street venue has also started up a delivery service, taking ready-to-eat meals and recipe boxes to people in the BS3 area.
The drive-thru service got going yesterday (March 23) and is already proving a hit, according to executive head chef Charles Mooyaart, who said it will be allowed to continue despite Boris Johnson's lockdown announcement last night.
"The drive-thru is the safest way possible for people to pick up their food and groceries as there's no human interaction and they don't even have to leave their car," said the 36-year-old.
"We're lucky that we have a large car park outside the venue which is currently empty, as all the Tobacco Factory office workers are now working from home.
"So we decided to use the space to its full potential and launched a drive-thru in it, as we want to continue to serve people in Bristol and keep as many of our staff on as possible.
"It was surreal watching people use it for the first time but it worked really well and the feedback has been great so far."
How does the drive-thru work?
Ordering and picking up from the new service could not be easier, following the steps below:
- Check out the Tobacco Factory's daily menu on its Facebook page
- Choose your meal and/or groceries
- Phone the restaurant's order hotline between 11am and 7pm on 0117 9020060
- Drive through the car park of the Tobacco Factory, located at the site's back entrance on Raleigh Road
- Pick up your pre-order and pay using card at the collection point, without leaving your car
What's on the menu?
The menu includes hearty salad boxes, ready-to-eat meals and meals which can be heated up at home - all priced at £5.
People can also pick up meal boxes which serve four people, priced at £10, equating to just £2.50 per person.
There's also the option of fruit and veg boxes which can be bought in small (£7.50) or large (£12.50) sizes to stock up the cupboards.
To see the full menu, visit The Tobacco Factory's Facebook page.
Charles added: "The food is all fresh and really good quality. We wanted to keep the prices reasonable to make the service accessible to as many people as possible.
"We look forward to seeing more people using the drive-thru over the coming months and hearing their feedback.."
