A vital pillar of what had been a bustling pre-pandemic downtown dining scene announced they are reopening their kitchen for take-out and delivery service.
Scott Stein, owner of Market Street’s Bardea Food + Drink, said the restaurant will begin curbside pickup service this Thursday and continue dinner service through Saturday night, with some deliveries by staff. People should check Bardea’s website after the services launches to find complete hours of operation.
Stein said the James Beard Award semifinalist Bardea will offer both a la carte options as well as family menus featuring “more comfort food – easy to warm up.”
“We want the family meal to be at a value and for people get it in a safe way,” said Stein. “When we do deliveries, we might establish a group meeting point for pickup – for those who don’t want to drive into the city.
The restaurant is also exploring a creative take on Saturday night dinner service, with a possible live-stream of a chef explaining the meal’s preparation and recommended wine pairings.
“We want to recreate an environment that makes people feel like they can enjoy a restaurant dining experience,” said Stein.
“Our dining room has created a real sense of community … many customers text me weekly to check in on us,” he said. “We want to deliver a symbol of hope. I can’t see how we will make any money on this. It will be a group of six of us. [We’ve gone] from 50 employees to six.
Prior to the statewide shutdown that has closed all in-service dining in Delaware restaurants, the downtown Wilmington’s offerings had measurable momentum, with Bardea’s success a significant driver.
Stein noted that for twenty years the city and developers including Buccini/Pollin Group “have been trying to lift up Market Street. So this is a huge blow to their efforts – the closure of so many stores and restaurants. We’re hoping that by re-opening we can do what we are good at and offer some hope to the neighborhood and the city.”
Chick-fil-A’s Concord Mall location will open this Friday
Chick-fil-A will be reopening their Concord Mall location on Friday, May 1 for curbside pickup only, a company spokesman told TSD today. Hungry customers will be able to place an order on the Chick-fil-A mobile app and pickup curbside in the parking lot.
Hours for the new service are 11 am to 7 pm, Monday-Saturday, and they will offer a full menu.
The announcement from the popular purveyor of fried chicken sandwiches and waffle fries comes as they plan to expand their clawprint in Delaware.
Related: New Target Coming to Prices Corner
The chain will be opening new restaurants in Prices Corner, at the site of the now-vacant Sears Auto Center, and on the DuPont Highway in New Castle.
The Prices Corner restaurant will be part of a redevelopment of the shopping center centered around a new 113,000 square foot Target department store slated to open later this year.
Demolition work on the Sears Auto Center started last week shortly after Delawareonline.com shared New Castle County planning documents showing approved variances for the space at Prices Corner.
The documents show that Chick-fil-A is requesting minor variances to accommodate a drive-thru and pedestrian walkway at the new restaurant. The Prices Corner Shopping Center was constructed in 1962.
