To Provide Its Neighborhood With Some Sense of Normalcy, a Small Restaurant Becomes a Grab-and-Go Market

Minh Phan, chef and owner of Porridge and Puffs in Historic Filipinotown, is ready to take on citywide coronavirus measures by converting to a grab-and-go store on March 19. “We don’t have a choice but to be fearless” says Phan. “I’m a war kid, I changed careers after 9/11, I lived through 2007. We’ll survive and thrive.”

When the store goes live at noon this Thursday, individuals will be able to shop in-person at the Beverly Boulevard storefront, or access the wares online and opt for pick-up or delivery. “Our current restaurant will be broken down. [The] shop space will allow us to continue feeding LA while minimizing the spread of COVID-19,” explains Phan. Phan says they’re currently working out exact safety protocols, including how to manage potential crowds inside and outside the space.

The shelves will be lined with products and provisions made for consuming off-premises, including most of the restaurant’s current menu, as well as an ever-changing $20 three-course set menu. Though the store isn’t selling toilet paper, available will be an array of niceties like fresh flowers, facial scrubs, pickles, jams, and drinking shrubs, to help those who are self-isolating have a semblance of normalcy. “In this time of uncertainty, we want to be a constant in our community’s lives,” says Phan.

Slated for the near future is a subscription service to provide the neighborhood with meals on a scheduled basis. The shop will operate from noon to 6 p.m. with plans to extend hours down the line. Follow Porridge and Puffs on Instagram for the latest details.

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