Restaurant Depot Opens To Public For First-Time Ever

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A nationwide warehouse chain -- which for decades operated as a wholesale foodservice supplier only for independent restaurants -- has for the first time opened its doors to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic.

New York-based Restaurant Depot, which has 11 locations across the Southland, is for the first time letting non-members shop at its warehouses.

According to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune Wednesday, the company is currently issuing day passes to anyone who would like to shop there.

Prior to this, to shop at Restaurant Depot you had to possess a state business license and sign up for a membership.

"Everyone deserves access to the products that they need to live their daily lives, so we want to do our part to ensure that nobody is going to wonder how they'll get through the week," a company spokesperson said in a statement to NJBIZ, a New Jersey business journal.

It's unclear how long the warehouses will be open to the general public.