When the pandemic shut down New York City’s restaurants along with the rest of the country, many operators pivoted to off-premise sales and third-party delivery to boost dwindling revenues. But that pivot is a tough sell if you’re an ice cream shop known for Instagram-worthy bubble waffle-ice cream creations.
Eggloo is a Hong Kong-style waffles and ice cream shop in New York City’s Chinatown that had to get creative with retail sales of pancakes mixes and bubble waffle kits in Asian-American flavors, like matcha and black sesame, during the pandemic to keep their head above water.
Eggloo is also a part of DoorDash’s new Main Street Accelerator program, which helps boost businesses owned by women and Black or indigenous people of color with financial assistance and mentorship opportunities. The 100 winners of the program get placed into community cohorts to learn from and get advice from one another.
“For our business, something we’re planning is to have a more community-oriented space for Asian-American products,” Eggloo co-owner Michael Tan said. “That’s one aspect we’ll be putting the money toward.”
Tan also spoke of his challenges during the pandemic, including his perspective on the rise of anti-Asian-American hatred in the country in the video below.
