TULSA, Okla. — There’s a new drive-thru at Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano near 61st and Sheridan. This one is completely free.
“It’s about time to kind of give back to our community," said Mehdi Khezri, owner of Ti Amo. "And that’s what it’s all about, giving back.”
Ti Amo paired up with Ridge Grill to supply the boxed meals with help from vendors who donated food and people who gave money. Anyone can drive up to Ti Amo between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“Today was turkey, sliced turkey, dressing, gravy and asparagus," Khezri said. "We also had a package of pineapple and bread.”
Khezri said they fed 650 people their first day and 800 their second. The meals started out as a way to help the community and now have turned personal.
“People have been affected by this," Khezri said. "And most of them have been coming up, as I can tell, are in our industry. People in the restaurant business that have been affected the worst with this situation. So, we wanted to give back to them.”
Ti Amo has been affected as well. It had to close its downtown location, laying off all but two employees there. They aren’t forgetting about those without a job, saying they’ll do whatever they can to support them during this difficult time.
“If I need to talk to their landlords and see if we can figure that out for their rent, their bills," said Jason Head, general manager of Ti Amo Downtown.
Ti Amo is still offering take out and delivery. It’s also offering a fresh market with items such as pasta, bread, and the coveted toilet paper.
“It is hard," Khezri said. "It’s hard times. But we’re going to do it as long as we can.”
Ti Amo is also doing to-go beer and wine.
They’re raising money for the free meals. You can donate to their GoFundMe here. You can also support the restaurant and the free meals by buying a $100 gift card. $10 of that gift card will go toward the free meals.
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