In Texas, a British pub sets up a new business model: gluten-free dinner delivery
A British pub known for family-friendly gluten-free dining is up and running at its new location, but so far only for neighborhood deliveries.
From Across the Pond is essentially a ghost kitchen for the moment, cooking specials such as roast sirloin or fish-and-chips and delivering them to neighborhoods across the Fort Worth and Dallas area.
Owner Lee Herdman relocated his restaurant to 1101 Cheek Sparger Road, cooking there now and planning to open for patio dining sometime early next year.
The old From Across the Pond in North Richland Hills was much-loved but too big for a restaurant industry that now relies mainly on deliveries, curbside pickups and outdoor dining, he said.
“We came up with this multi-drop idea,” he said.
“Somebody said, ‘Hey, I wish you’d deliver to Denton,’ and I said, ‘Give me 50 orders and I will.’ And it’s caught on in a big way.”
He delivers gluten-free family dinners as far north as Prosper and Collin County, as far east as Wylie and as far west as Weatherford and Aledo.
Right now, he’s doing deliveries four days a week. Eventually, he’ll open dining on weekends.
“This year has actually given me a sense of purpose,” he said.
“This is what restaurants should do — provide for their communities. We’re serving families, feeding the hospital staffs and doing what’s right for the people all around us. This is what the people really need. ... I think the business model for our industry has changed forever.”
Right now, From Across the Pond is delivering family meals for $35 (fish and chips) to $48 (shepherd’s pie) or $60 (roast sirloin with Yorkshire pudding). But there are only a few cities each day for deliveries.
Curbside and general delivery orders will be back shortly. Call 469-444-3287 or check facebook.com/Pondcrossers.
