Last month, FRESHFARM began implementing social distancing measures at its Dupont Circle farmers market to help curb the spread of coronavirus. But as they limited the number of people allowed in at one time, deputy director Nony Dutton noticed the lines to get in each Sunday were stretching as far as five blocks from the entrance.
He started looking into a reservation system to help cut down on wait times, which were averaging 45 minutes per person, but after calling three different companies, he was met with confusion. “The first one I called was kind of like, ‘What are you talking about?'” he says. “‘Farmers markets reservation systems? Nah, that’s not really out thing.'”
Then, two weeks ago, he was chatting with some people in line and a customer mentioned they knew someone at OpenTable, which Dutton had previously contacted to no avail, and offered to put them in touch. “It was very lucky,” he says .
Now, FRESHFARM is offering reservations at its Dupont Circle location via the online service, which normally provides restaurant reservations—a move that’s part convenience, part safety measure.
“We understand that no one wants to wait in line for 45 minutes,” Dutton says. “But also, we don’t want folks having to wait next to people, even if they are spread out six feet, for 45 minutes just to get their food. That seems [like] not the safest situation.”
Dutton says they began testing the system last Sunday, and customers who made reservations didn’t wait more than a couple minutes. Reservations are limited to one customer per slot, and each slot is 15 minutes long, though there is some wiggle room.
Farmers markets are among many food purveyors that have had to constantly adapt in the wake of the pandemic. Originally they were considered essential businesses. But in early April, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that farmers markets would no longer be considered as such, and would need to apply for a waiver to operate.
In order to qualify, the markets would have to follow new rules, including placing a limit on the number of customers allowed inside at a time, banning pets, and implementing telephone or online ordering systems, among others. The order came after photos of crowds of people shopping in close proximity at The Wharf’s Municipal Fish Market circulated on social media days earlier.
Dutton says FRESHFARM had already begun enforcing social distancing by the time the order was announced, and though it took some time to adjust their operations, they got their waiver within a few days and found a new rhythm.
They’ve taken steps like setting up hand-washing stations and capping the market’s capacity at 100 customers. They are also planning an online market-wide ordering system so customers can pre-order food from multiple vendors and pick it all up at once, which they expect to launch next weekend.
Dutton says FRESHFARM is already working on developing reservation systems for some 30 or so other markets and farm stands, including their Arlington Courthouse, downtown Silver Spring, and Columbia Heights locations. The lines at those markets are still much shorter than Dupont, but as the weather gets warmer, he expects traffic will increase.
FRESHFARM is not requiring reservations, but they are encouraged. The system currently allows for reservations out as far as 90 days out, but Dutton says they may consider limiting it to two weeks if it gets busy.
Ultimately, he hopes the new system will minimize the risk for customers.
“The more people that can show up without having to wait and get in and out, pick up their pre-orders, [and] order ahead as much as possible, I think the safer it’ll be for everyone,” Dutton says. “And also, will then ideally get us through this entire COVID-19 crisis even faster.”
