Mobile mini marts filled with dry and perishable grocery items as well as non-food staples such as paper towels and toilet paper have been popping up at hospital cafeterias where Cura Hospitality, a unit of Elior North America, manages onsite dining. Cura operates dining services in healthcare facilities, including both hospitals and senior living communities.
The mini marts are designed to help healthcare staff working long hours and who can't get to the grocery store to stock up with some needed items to take home.
The stores were created by repurposing cafeteria space that is now lying vacant due to restrictions imposed by policies designed to protect against the spread of coronavirus. Areas reserved for seating, which is now either discouraged or prohibited at most cafeterias, as well as spaces where self-serve food stations such as salad bars previously sat, now present ideal real estate for shelves, bins and coolers stocking retail-style items.
Here are some of the items and displays from several Cura operated hospital locations.
