As restaurants nationwide are forced to find new ways to serve their customers, we want to showcase NORMS—a Southern California institution known for its familiar, comfort food available 24/7—and how it has found a way to adapt its operations and introduce new menu items to maintain its motto of “great food, great value and great service.”
“During a time of uncertainty, it’s great to see a Southern California restaurant staple think outside of the box and offer a comfort package to their customers,” said Cherry Rimando-Juarez, an account executive for General Mills Foodservice who serves the Southern California region. “This was a brilliant idea to give people the peace of mind that they can get the necessities they are looking for at a local restaurant.”
General Mills Foodservice recently talked to NORMS’ marketing team to learn more about their creativity and dedication to serving their customers during these trying times.
How has the coronavirus outbreak affected you and your restaurants?
Caption: The Bigger Better Breakfast Package, which is available for $35 and feeds up 10 people, includes Pillsbury Golden Buttermilk Biscuits.
Have you changed your menu options? Can you tell us about the Care Packages...what's included? How did you come up with this idea?
NORMS’ regular menu is vast and has nearly endless options, but because we are restricted to delivery and to-go orders, we’ve created a temporary menu with items that make sense for travel.
NORMS Care Packages are our way of helping the community by providing them with a safe alternative to going to the grocery store. Instead of waiting in line for an extended amount of time just to get into a grocery store that has likely run out of the items you are looking for, you can pop on over to NORMS and pick up a Care Package for $35 that feeds up to 10 people.
NORMS is currently offering several different versions of the Care Package, depending on what our guest is looking for. The most popular is the Bigger Better Breakfast package, which comes with 5 eggs, 1lb. bacon, 1lb. of sausage, 1lb. ham, 2 lbs. of hash browns, 1.75 lbs. of sliced fruit, 6 biscuits, ½ gallon of milk or juice, and 1 roll of toilet paper, and the T-bone Steak package which comes with four 12 oz. T-bone steaks, four baked potatoes, 1.5 lbs. of daily vegetables, 2 lbs. of yellow onion and 1 bottle of NORMS Steak Sauce. The full list of NORMS Care Packages can be found at www.norms.com.
NORMS Care Packages are available while supplies last and are limited to four per person to give others a chance to purchase them as well.
How are you getting the word out about your menu and/or changes to operations?
Our marketing team is working round the clock with our social media and PR teams to get the word out about the NORMS Care Packages and delivery/takeout options. NORMS also has an incredible fan base that has continued to support us throughout this process, not only by ordering from us, but by telling their friends and family about what we are offering during this time.
How have your customers responded during this crisis?
As stated above, NORMS has always had a very loyal fan base that has been built over the past 70 years. We have guests that dine with us on a daily basis, sometimes twice a day, and it’s because of those customers that we have been around for so long and can count on being around for another 70-plus years. While we have seen a drop in business, as has every other restaurant across the country, our fans have continued to support NORMS through ordering delivery, to-go and taking home NORMS Care Packages to feed their families.