In with beer, out with healthy greens: Grocery chain changes up salad bar in pandemic

A grocery store chain is switching up its salad bar with less-than-healthy options due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Its shoppers don’t seem to mind.

Missouri-based Dierbergs Markets, which also has locations in Illinois, decided to put beer, mini bottles of liquor, cereal and candy, among other options, in a space previously occupied by salad, photos show.

At some locations, the word “salad” is crossed out of salad bar.

“We had originally put out other fresh foods, but it didn’t go over so well because everyone’s been stressed out,” Rick Rodemacher, director of a Dierbergs store in Manchester, Missouri, told NBC News. “A group of the employees were talking and we thought we could make good use of the empty space and make people smile if we swapped out the salad bar for one that serves alcohol.”

The store transformed the salad bar into a tiki bar.

The salad bars at the grocery chain have been closed since March, Dierbergs Markets Vice President of Advertising and Marketing Jamie Collins told CNN.

“A crisis wasn’t going to get in the way of our team’s creativity,” Collins told CNN.

This shopper was excited to start a “liquid diet” with $1.99 mini bottles of wine.

Another shopper seemed to appreciate Dierbergs attitude toward the pandemic.

This location decided to “turn up” the salad bar with hard seltzers, a Twitter user said.

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