The staff of Green Truck Neighborhood Pub got the surprise of a lifetime on Thursday when first lady Jill Biden walked in to pick up a few pecan pies, according to co-owner Whitney Shephard-Yates.
After her visit to Beach High School to urge residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Biden made an unscheduled stop at the Habersham Street restaurant after a recommendation from Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Savannah native.
Shephard-Yates, who has previously met Warnock through her day job as a transportation engineer, jokingly said she was going to give the senator a hard time for not giving the staff a heads up that Biden was going to stop by the restaurant.
“The staff was thrilled to meet both Rev. Warnock and Dr. Biden,” Shephard-Yates said. “I think you could tell by the looks on their faces how exciting it was for everyone involved.”
The surprise visit was significant timing as the staff of Green Truck had recently celebrated being fully vaccinated. Fortunately, no one on staff got sick during the pandemic which Yates credits to their cautiousness. Having everyone vaccinated has been an incredible relief and experience given the stress of the past year, she said.
“Being a small-business owner during the pandemic was incredibly challenging, personally and financially,” Shephard-Yates said. “We're really thankful for this opportunity to rebuild and the small amount of attention that the senator and first lady's visit is bringing to the cause.”
Biden purchased two pecan pies made from scratch, a buy that holds some importance. Every pecan Green Truck sells comes from Farmer Joe’s Clark & Sons Organics at the Forsyth Farmers Market. A huge part of Green Truck’s mission is to help create local jobs, so every dollar Biden spent purchasing the pies was a boost to the local economy.
“I thought it was really cool that she chose pecan pies, being in Georgia and thinking about farmer Joe's singing every Saturday at the farmers market,” Shephard-Yates said. “He's a complete joy, and I can't wait to tell them that the first lady probably had a piece of pie with his pecans.”
Green Truck is also celebrating a month of reopening its dining room. Currently operating under a counter-service model, customers can order at the bar and the food will be brought out to you at your indoor or outdoor table. They have extended their hours to lunch and have plans to shift to full-table service as soon as they are fully staffed.
“It's very exciting to see our regular customers back in the dining room and be able to catch up with everyone,” Shephard-Yates said. “And it's just as exciting, as our sales start to increase a little bit, to be back at the farmers market every Saturday seeing our suppliers and increasing the amount we can spend with them.”
Laura Nwogu is the quality of life reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at LNwogu@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Sweet treat: Green Truck Pub opens in time to dish out a southern staple to Jill Biden
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