NYC's Kissaki delivers over 800 meals to first responders battling Covid-19

NEW YORK, April 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NYC-based Kissaki Omakase -a Japanese-Cuisine focused fine dining restaurant - has delivered over 800 meals to first responders as a thank you for their efforts in battling Covid-19. Since kick-starting the program in late March, they have received over $35,000 in meal purchases from friends and customers to keep our most critical doctors, nurses and hospital staff fed as they continue to work exhaustively to care for sick New Yorkers from the 5 boroughs and Long Island.

"We closed the restaurant temporarily in early March due to Covid but for both our staff and all these healthcare workers we saw working round the clock, we had to do something," says Garry Kanfer, Kissaki's owner. "We started reaching out to our loyal customers and their contacts for donations so we could start delivering at-cost meals to all those doctors and nurses who have been working so hard."

The restaurant is keeping busy, delivering over 100 meals each day. And Kissaki's lunch boxes have been a big hit with frontline workers. including Julia Gorelik, a Nurse at NYU Langone in NYC. "Our lunch boxes from Kissaki have brought a smile to our faces. It's such a nice treat and a bit of a break from all the chaos all of us in New York have been dealing with," said Ms. Gorelik. Mr. Kanfer has also been receiving thank you notes from frontline workers at Mount Sinai, Maimonides, Coney Island, Bellevue, Methodist, Montefiore, North Shore, Sloan Kettering and other area hospitals the restaurant has been delivering to.

According to Mr. Kanfer, "To ease the concerns about delivery, we have taken every possible precaution in preparation. From ensuring vendors and employees wear masks and sterilizing all packages before they leave the restaurant, we want everyone to know their safety is the most important thing to us." To meet the demand, Kissaki purchased an ASME865 CE maki-making robot to keep up with demand and make sure they get the meals out quickly. "While hand rolls are our bread and butter, it's really fascinating to see what this can do," said Mr. Kanfer.

While Kissaki will be opening back up as soon as the NYC restrictions are lifted, Mr. Kanfer has been happy to keep his staff working and helping brighten the doctors and nurses' day. "I am so glad we were able to make someone in a tough situation feel a little better. You can only eat so many pizzas and sandwiches, so bringing our restaurant to them means a lot to us."

For more info on Kissaki Omakase's meal delivery program for first responders, visit https://explorekissaki.com/meals-for-the-frontlines

SOURCE Kissaki Omakase LLC