To help streamline the process of order retrieval, Santana Row launched its Pick-Up Program, a series of color-coded areas along The Row where shoppers can pull up and wait for curbside delivery.
“We are eagerly waiting for a Phase 2 reopening, but for now, we are actively doing contactless curbside pickup,” says Collette Navarrette, West Coast director of marketing for Federal Realty, Santana Row’s parent company.
“Place your order with a Santana Row business that is open for pick-up, drive to the store or restaurant and park in the designated drive-up lane,” says Navarrette.
“Call to confirm your arrival. Your order will be delivered to your car.”
Navarrette says Federal Realty anticipates that these spaces will become permanent. “The takeout model is not going away any time soon,” she adds. “It is definitely part of the new normal.”
The recent Mother’s Day weekend saw brisk traffic, between customers picking up to-go orders and Doordash, Uber Eats, GrubHub and other delivery drivers making pickups.
“It was great to see so many people taking advantage of all the great food options we have on Santana Row,” says Navarrette.
As essential as pickups and deliveries are, and restaurants want their customers back. Outdoor seating can certainly help accommodate social distancing, and Santana Row is actively pursuing ways to augment al fresco dining options by expanding patio areas into the street.
“We’re working on a mockup/trial of one patio area with white picket fences to make it feel like a garden,” says Navarrette. She anticipates adding flower boxes and heaters to ensure guest comfort.
Meanwhile, The Row’s retail shops are preparing to reopen for curbside pickup, leveraging the Pick-Up zones. Navarrette mentions Travis Matthew as among those eager to open. Stores with robust online e-tailing, like Crate & Barrel and Sephora, will likely be first to jump in.
Phase 3 might allow shoppers inside stores, but only a certain number: The Federal Realty team is working with retailers on logistics to monitor the flow of customers.
Farmers Market opens
The weekly Santana Row Farmers Market was set to reopen May 20, 4-8 p.m.
“The market is such a great amenity for residents,” says Rayna Langley, marketing manager for Federal Realty. “It feels like the first sign we’re getting to the next phase of reopening.”
The market, set up between Olin Avenue and Olsen Drive, features more than 20 vendors with organic vegetables, local cheeses, breads, flowers, herbs, olives, rotisserie chicken and more.
Among the highlights are strawberries from PK Farm in Watsonville, tree-ripened Bing cherries from the Gotelli family, Triple Delight blueberries, asparagus and artichokes from Royal Greens in Hollister (new this year), fresh pasta and sauces from Santa Cruz Pasta, and Oaxacan tortillas handmade by a family of sisters.
Construction has resumed on the five-story parking garage and an eight-story office tower, called One Santana West, slated to be completed in 2021 despite a seven-week delay due to the lockdown. Light traffic allowed for easy installation of a new row of palm trees.
For information on Santana Row restaurants open for takeout and pickup, visit http://www.santanarow.com/events/santana-row-curbside-take-out.