Turnip Truck Will Open Charlotte Ave. Store Friday

Turnip Truck Will Open Charlotte Ave. Store Friday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Furthering his mission of bringing the finest farm-fresh food to Nashville, Turnip Truck founder and owner John Dyke will open his third full-service natural grocery store at 5001 Charlotte Ave., Friday, March 27, at 10 a.m.

“Two weeks ago, much of the equipment for this store was destroyed by the tornado,” Dyke said. “With Covid-19 striking on the heels of that, we knew we had to press forward to help feed our neighbors.  I’m thrilled to say that – against all odds – we are opening a day earlier than we had originally planned. It won’t be as polished as we had hoped, but it will be open.”

The 15,000-sq.-ft. store will offer produce, groceries, a butcher, bulk foods, beer and wine, supplements, health and beauty items, and a filtered water station. Customers can expect the most local food available, with produce sourced within 200 miles. While this may be affected by the current situation, in a typical season, a full 90 percent or more of Turnip Truck’s produce is organic.  Other products including local grass-fed meats, supplements and packaged foods are sourced for their lack of artificial colors, sweeteners, fillers, preservatives, thickeners or additives.

The store will include a hot bar, salad bar, 100% organic juice bar and deli.  Due to Covid-19, the salad and hot bars are currently closed at all Turnip Truck locations.

“This would not have been possible without the herculean efforts of our team and the support of the City of Nashville,” Dyke said.  “We are thrilled to have more than 90 local companies represented in our inventory.  In addition, we are creating new jobs here for 70 employees.”

Turnip Truck is working to respond to increased demand for groceries citywide by adding staff. Dyke said that in the past week alone, he has hired 30 new employees for his stores to ensure shelves stay stocked. Customers can expect a highly sanitary shopping experience at Turnip Truck stores, with strict cleaning protocol and special sanitizing stations inside and out.

“With the current threat to our health, now’s the time focus on nutrition and building up our immunity,” Dyke said. “Our team has always been a health partner to our customers, and we are ready and able to help folks find the right products and supplements for their individual needs.”

Continuing Turnip Truck’s legacy of sustainable business and building practices, rooftop solar panels will provide 15 percent of the store’s energy. Turnip Truck returns vegetable debris (compost) produced in food preparation to nearby farms. Customers will find recycling stations in the new location, which will not use plastic grocery bags – a store policy since 2014.

Dyke opened the original Turnip Truck Natural Market on Woodland Street in East Nashville in 2001. An East Tennessee native, he grew up on a family farm and sought to bring the health and wellness benefits of whole, local foods to his Nashville neighborhood. Nearly two decades later, he has opened a flagship store in East Nashville, a Gulch location – and, now, a Charlotte Avenue grocery. “I opened our first store in East Nashville to meet the needs of my neighbors, and we have expanded throughout Nashville to meet demands for a truly local grocer,” he said.

ABOUT TURNIP TRUCK

Founded in 2001 by John Dyke, Turnip Truck is Nashville’s only full-service locally owned natural foods grocer. Specializing in local, natural and organic foods and products, the store has locations in East Nashville, the Gulch and Charlotte Pike. To learn more, visit theturniptruck.com.

Turnip Truck set to open West Nashville store

Turnip Truck set to open West Nashville store

Turnip Truck set to open West Nashville store

Nashville Business Journal

 

 

By Marq Burnett  Mar 26, 2020, 7:33am EDT

With the increased need for groceries and other household items due to COVID-19, the Turnip Truck is proceeding with plans to open its third location.

Turnip Truck owner and founder John Dyke announced the full-service natural grocery store will open at 10 a.m Friday at 5001 Charlotte Ave.

“Two weeks ago, much of the equipment for this store was destroyed by the tornado,” Dyke said in a news release. “With COVID-19 striking on the heels of that, we knew we had to press forward to help feed our neighbors. I’m thrilled to say that – against all odds – we are opening a day earlier than we had originally planned. It won’t be as polished as we had hoped, but it will be open.”

The 15,000-square-foot store will offer produce, groceries, a butcher, bulk foods, beer and wine, supplements, health and beauty items, and a filtered water station, according to a news release. The produce is sourced within 200 miles. In a typical season, 90% or more of Turnip Truck’s produce is organic, but the release notes that this may be affected by “the current situation.” The store also plans to have a hot bar, salad bar, 100% organic juice bar and deli. However, due to coronavirus, the salad and hot bars are currently closed at all Turnip Truck locations.

“This would not have been possible without the herculean efforts of our team and the support of the city of Nashville,” Dyke said in the release. “We are thrilled to have more than 90 local companies represented in our inventory. In addition, we are creating new jobs here for 70 employees.”

In an effort to meet increased demand for groceries throughout the city, Dyke said he’s hired 30 new employees to ensure shelves remain stocked at stores.

Rooftop solar panels will provide 15% of the store’s energy. The store will have recycling stations, and it also won’t use plastic grocery bags, a company policy since 2014.

Dyke, an East Tennessee native, opened the original Turnip Truck Natural Market on Woodland Street in East Nashville in 2001. He later opened a location in the Gulch.

“With the current threat to our health, now’s the time to focus on nutrition and building up our immunity,” Dyke said. “Our team has always been a health partner to our customers, and we are ready and able to help folks find the right products and supplements for their individual need

“People need food, so I come to work”

“People need food, so I come to work”

‘People need food, so I come to work’: Tennessee grocery workers keeping shelves stocked

Sandy Mazza, Nashville Tennessean Published 10:04 a.m. CT March 24, 2020

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic. Reported illnesses range from very mild to severe, including death. Agencies anticipate widespread transmission will occur in the U.S. in coming months and recommend social distancing among other measures to slow the spread. Call your doctor and stay home if you are sick. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus or contact the Tennessee Department of Health coronavirus information line at 877-857-2945 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT daily.

Turnip Truck produce manager John Nolan has been restocking fruits and vegetables faster than ever.

He’s had to substitute some organic items, including potatoes, for conventional produce, and garlic is temporarily sold out at the natural foods grocery chain.

But the shelves remain largely filled with a wide variety of fresh food.

“I try not to think too much about (COVID-19) exposure,” Nolan said. “I don’t romanticize it like I’m a first responder or anything. But I need to be here. People need food, so I come to work and make sure our shelves are stocked.”

Produce manager John Nolan restocks limes at The Turnip Truck Monday, March 23, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: Courtney Pedroza / The Tennessean )

The March 3 tornado left the East Nashville Turnip Truck store without power and devastated much of nearby Main Street. But, with the help of a generator, employees kept it open until electricity was restored.

Now it’s on the front lines of a new crisis.

Workers show up for shifts wearing latex gloves and masks or bandanas over their mouths and noses to help reduce the risk of exposure to the deadly respiratory disease.

The Metro Public Health Department does not recommend that the general public wear face masks unless they are sick or working with sick patients.

Vanderbilt University infectious disease specialist Dr. William Schaffner said he wouldn’t discourage essential-services workers from wearing them, but they haven’t been proven to help reduce risk.

“If they were really thought to be a preventive mechanism then there would be an annual recommendation during each influenza season,” said Schaffner, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “There’s a lot of innovative activity around respiratory protection now. It’s just that we don’t have definitive answers. Even if we did, the priority ought to be focused on healthcare providers.”

New sanitizing stations arrived Monday for customers and employees, who are washing their hands and applying sanitizer routinely throughout the day as customers flood the aisles.

“I feel my employees are true heroes right now because they’re running into everybody,” Turnip Truck owner John Dyke said. “They’re providing a great service to the community.”

He’s preparing to open the third Nashville location at the end of this week, at 5001 Charlotte Ave.

“We have a team meeting every day and I greet every employee every day,” Dyke said. “Going from the tornado into this, many people haven’t been able to process their feelings.”

Antibacterial soap is so hard to get that the stores are making their own using rubbing alcohol, aloe vera and essential oils.

Food sellers in Tennessee and across the nation are rapidly adjusting their supply networks to keep shelves stocked, and instructing employees to keep their distance from others and clean regularly.

Kroger, Publix, Turnip Truck, Trader Joe’s and Aldi are hiring hundreds of new workers in the state as unemployment skyrockets amid widespread forced business closures.

Paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, chicken, baby items and boxed meals are so highly sought that they’re difficult to keep on the shelves, said Kroger spokeswoman Melissa Eads.

“There’s demand on just about anything,” Eads said. “We’re working 24-7 with distribution centers and suppliers to help replenish items as quickly as possible. Trucks are arriving daily and all our manufacturing partners have added shifts.”

Food is readily available, but the supply chains haven’t been able to meet the unprecedented customer demand fast enough.

“There’s just such pressure on the system right now and as soon as trucks come in, it’s bought up,” Eads said. “It’s going to take awhile to get things back to normal. We expect our conditions and quantities to continue to improve.”

Kroger’s grocery pickup service is so busy that orders are delayed and sometimes can’t be fully filled.

“We’re assembling the orders in the store and we’re having to navigate big crowds. A lot of times we don’t have items they want,” Eads said. “More people are choosing that option because they don’t want to go inside the store.”

All grocery stores are sanitizing public areas throughout the day to try to help reduce the rapid spread of coronavirus.

Publix has a “designated team of associates” assigned to sanitize baskets, cart handles and payment areas at the registers, said spokeswoman Nicole Krauss.

“Customers continue to buy in increased demands, and we’re asking customers to shop as they normally would,” Krauss said. “Also, we’re asking customers not to arrive early, waiting in line for stores to open. Since deliveries are made throughout the day, arriving first thing doesn’t guarantee product availability.”

Many grocery stores and delivery services have increased wages as they embark on hiring sprees.

Amazon will hire 100,000 new workers nationwide, including 1,200 in Tennessee, and Walmart is hiring 150,000 additional employees across the country.

“We believe our role serving customers and the community during this time is a critical one,” Amazon officials said, in a statement. “We’ve seen an increase in people shopping online for groceries and are working around the clock to continue to deliver grocery orders to customers as quickly as possible.”

Turnip Truck has received hundreds of job applications in recent days, said Chief Operating Officer Kim Totzke.

The stores have also picked up some new products from out-of-work restaurant suppliers to fill in gaps. But some items, like paper goods, chicken and garlic, are still moving off shelves faster than they can be restocked.

“It’s really easy to feel broken during this, so to feel like we can actually do something positive feels really good,” Tozke said. “It feels awesome to be able to provide some more jobs right now.”

 

Area groceries confront virus on multiple fronts

Nashville-area grocery stores — unlike so many other now-shuttered businesses throughout the city — continue to operate.

But those operations have assumed a decidedly different approach and vibe compared to the business-as-usual period prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. The signs are obvious: Customers and store employees wearing germ-repellent gloves and masks, aisles and shelving having been decimated by panicked shoppers, hot and cold bars closed, cleaning crews disinfecting on a frequent basis, reduced hours and, of course, a lack of toilet paper.

Read More at The Nashville Post

This is in the modal

×