Midtown restaurant Aioli transitions to corner market as coronavirus closes dining room

With dine-in meals effectively banned throughout Sacramento restaurants due to the coronavirus pandemic, Aioli Bodega Espanola owner Aziz Bellarbi-Salah figured he’d lean into his business’ middle name.

Aioli reopened at 1800 L St. on Wednesday as a corner store, selling ingredients normally used to create dishes like homemade ravioli and patatas bravas, as well as wine and bottled beer. A preliminary stock list includes the following: dairy, eggs, produce, flour, sugar, coffee beans, chips, pasta, rice, lentils, alternative milks and Burly Beverages syrups.

There’s made-to-order sandwiches and salads for sale, plus three or four entrees such pan-seared salmon with spinach, grilled chicken with roasted potatoes and spareribs with green beans. A barista will also make coffee drinks to go.

“Pretty much where we are right now is we’re selling everything we have on hand as a restaurant, and if it works out and people need particular items, I’ll continue to stock the store as required,” said Bellarbi-Salah, who also owns Brasserie Capitale and The Grand Wine Bar.

At least 13 people in California have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, as of Wednesday afternoon.

Restaurants and bars were told to shut their traditional models down suddenly earlier this week, and many are still trying to figure out how to remain in business until they can fully reopen. Gov. Gavin Newsom called for all bars to close and restaurants to cut occupancy by half Sunday, then called for all bars to close to takeout- or delivery-only Monday night, a directive Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg echoed Tuesday.

Bellarbi-Salah closed The Grand on Sunday and began establishing a commissary for his employees Monday before the idea for a bodega struck, he said. Contacts at the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control and Sacramento County Environmental Health Division gave him the all-clear, he said, and Aioli announced the change over Facebook on Tuesday. Delivery service is also expected to begin shortly.

“It kind of hit me that we have all this stuff, and if we don’t share it it’s going to go bad and we’re going to lose it,” Bellarbi-Salah said. “I said ‘Well, hell, let’s put the bodega back in Bodega.’”

Bellarbi-Salah employs 45 workers between the two restaurants and bar, 37 of whom were paid hourly before being furloughed earlier this week. He and the eight salaried employees will staff Aioli all-hands-on-deck to start before rotating schedules are developed.

The furloughed hourly employees are all permitted to grab limited groceries and to-go food at Aioli free of charge as long as it’s operating. Goods will be sold at cost to other hospitality industry employees who have suddenly found themselves unemployed, Bellarbi-Salah said, and at standard retail markups to the general public.

The bodega will be open from noon to 7 p.m. every day. Aioli made two sales before reopening at noon Wednesday: a gallon of milk to a neighbor, and half its toilet paper at a steep discount to one of Bellarbi-Salah’s friends who wanted to donate it to the Sacramento LGBT Community Center.

“At this time, I’m just sort of reacting in real time and do best I can,” Bellarbi-Salah said. “The worst risk we have here is sweat, and I’ll always risk my sweat. I’m a restaurant guy.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 4:31 PM.