Distance Socially, Eat Locally
These are difficult times for all of us, and local restaurants are no exception. They are one of the many industries that can’t “work from home” or survive long in a social distancing movement. In response to this, many Statesboro restaurants are making significant adjustments to accommodate the current situation.
The status of these restaurants changes every couple of days, but here is an update-to-date list being maintained by Grice Connect and the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce.
4 ways you can support your favorite local restaurants and eat local:
1. Purchase Gift Cards
Most restaurants offer some form of gift card or gift certificate. This is something you can do to ease their burden of the loss of your normal spending. This is also something you can do while staying at home. Many local restaurants will provide a way to order gift cards over the phone or online. Once things return to business-as-usual, use the gift card sparingly and spread out over a period of time to make sure these businesses have a steady flow of revenue afterwards. Or better yet, give it as a gift to a friend you’ve been trying to convince to try your favorite place!
2. Order Takeout
A lot of restaurants are streamlining their takeout services. Many dine-in restaurants are changing to take-out only. Even fast food chains, that normally thrive on takeout, are making adjustments to their order handling processes. Check your favorite dining establishments for how they are providing to-go meals.
3. Order from Market-2-Go
The Statesboro Main Street Farmers Market has a year-round online market where you can order locally grown and locally made products like produce, dairy, meat, herbs, plants, seeds, jellies, preserves, and more! Ordering must be completed by midnight on Tuesdays to be picked up at the Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau on the following Thursday. CLICK HERE for more information.
4. Dine-in
Several local restaurants are still open for business. Some have even adjusted their dining room to allow more space between customers, and staggering seating times to make sure safe distances are kept between parties. This means they are valuing social distance over the quantity of customers they can serve during this time.
In fact, all restaurants seem to be posting about stepping up their cleaning & sanitation game. And for food service establishments that already operate under stringent health codes this means quite a lot. Could you imagine if your kitchen was scrutinized the same way theirs are even under normal circumstances? Not sure we’d all get passing grades.
These are four simple ways to make sure that we all support each other during this time and to help ensure the recovery period afterwards goes quickly. Let’s be an example for others to follow and show the world why we’re The City that Soars!
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Top 5 Films Shot in the Boro
Looking for something to view while social distancing? Might we suggest a Statesboro-themed watchlist? Check out these 5 movies that were filmed (or partially filmed) in Statesboro and Bulloch County!
Now & Then (1995)
(PG-13) Rent or Buy on AppleTV
“A summer when four friends made a promise to return anytime they needed each other. Twenty years later that time has come.“
See if you can spot several prominent Downtown Statesboro landmarks featured throughout the film.
This film has a loaded cast, starring Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore, Rosie O’Donnell and Rita Wilson. Also starring (as younger versions of themselves, respectively): Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffman, Christina Ricci, and Ashleigh Aston Moore.
Ford vs Ferrari (2019)
(PG-13) Rent or Buy on Multiple Platforms
“American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.”
Starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale.
Visit Statesboro had the privilege of working closely with the film team to scout locations in Bulloch County for roadways that would work for critical scenes in the movie. As it turns out, stretches of Hwy 46 are almost identical to the French countryside where the actual race took place! Don’t blink though! This is a movie about a car race after all, so many of the Bulloch County scenes fly by. But if you’re familiar with the area you’ll be sure to recognize it, even if it’s a little blurry.
Visit Statesboro was also able to assist the production crew in obtaining permits and locating local resources for everything from catering to sanitation; helping to increase the economic impact of film in our community.
The Do-Over (2016)
(TV-MA) Netflix
“Two down-on-their-luck guys decide to fake their own deaths and start over with new identities, only to find the people they’re pretending to be are in even deeper trouble.”
Starring Adam Sandler and David Spade.
Another movie where Visit Statesboro was able to work with the production crew to bring film to our area. Statesboro’s very own Food World grocery store on Fair Road was temporarily redesigned to be used as the on-screen grocery store where David Spade plays the in-store bank manager (remember when that was a thing). And if you have a keen eye you may even be able to spot a few locals playing extras!
1969 (1988)
(R)
“Tony Stark, Jack Bauer, and Joyce Byers team-up to fight Thanos and a group of terrorists from The Upside Down…” no wait, that can’t be right.
Oh here we go…
“Two friends living in a small town during the 1960s, run away to enjoy their freedom during the Vietnam War, thus disappointing the father of one of them. When they return to town, they realize the importance of family unity.”
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, and Winona Ryder.
This was filmed in 1987, so we don’t have much information about the filming process. We do know that much of it was filmed in Bulloch County, as well as Hardeeville, SC, and Savannah. Feel free to send us a message if you have information about the filming!
Not sure where you can watch it online. Our marketing director was able to get it through Netflix several years ago, back when they mailed actual DVDs. Do they even still do that?
Buster & Billie (1974)
(R) YouTube
“It was 1948. There was a girl like Billie in every school. All the boys knew her, but Buster loved her and no one understood.”
This romance/revenge film stars Jan-Michael Vincent who played Captain Stringfellow Hawke from the totally rad 80s hit TV show Airwolf. You’ll also notice the unburnt and ungloved Robert Englund in his film debut, before he terrorized teen dreams as Freddy Kruger.
We found this film in full on YouTube. Oh um… speaking of “full”, just a heads-up, this film is also notable as one of the earliest American mainstream movies to have full male frontal nudity so take the R rating seriously when it comes to who you’re watching this with.
Camera Ready
Visit Statesboro is the Camera Ready contact for film in Statesboro and Bulloch County. We work closely with production companies to recruit and assist film projects in our community.
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