Not only is Olde Tyme Grocery open, but they’ve also seen this as an opportunity to give back. So there have been tons of donations to first-responders and to businesses just as a way of Olde Tyme Grocery saying, “thank you."
“Just to keep serving. Challenging, but incredibly blessed,” says Olde Tyme’s Ross Murphree.
Whether it’s a direct donation to other businesses or providing trays for first-responders, Olde Tyme Grocery has been actively involved as kind of a culinary philanthropic super-hero. And for 38 years, the Murphree family has embraced the concepts of service and community— and that’s especially true right now.
“It’s ‘with great power comes great responsibility’,” says Murphree. (Like ‘Spiderman’, I comment). “Yes, like Spider-Man. We’re just really fortunate to walk up every day and have cash flowing in this place and to continue to provide for our employees, families and customers. It’s overwhelmingly incredible.”
Curbside service on the outside….
To-go pickups on the inside….
And the creation of poor-boys in between.
All of that wraps around the words “service” and “appreciation”.
“We just want to do what we can to give back,” adds Murphree. “You know, everybody’s pinching pennies right now, and the only way we can get through this is by working together and in solidarity, and just thanking the good Lord every day for the opportunity to continue to serve.”
An ongoing social media presence has also helped Olde Tyme weather the Corona Storm—although Ross Murphree says that requires a delicate balancing act between platforms and consistency of the Olde Tyme brand.
“We have to figure out how to touch them all, but also still stay true to what we know is good. I think we’ve done a good job with that,” explains Murphree. “I think it’s shown in the support we’ve had and our business sustaining and even getting busier in the last couple weeks.”
One other note: Murphree says he can’t wait until this coming Friday, May1st because that’s when—if all goes according to plan--- Olde Tyme will reopen its brand-new patio for outside dining. “It will be good to see everyone,” smiles Murphree, “both longtime customers and new faces.”
