Fresco’s Cantina (Provided by Brian Martinez)
May 27, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
An Astoria restaurant is launching a new food delivery service with a twist.
Fresco’s Cantina, a Mexican fusion restaurant located at 12-14 31st Ave., tested out a drag queen delivery service recently and will formally roll out the service on May 31.
Drag queens will deliver food and drinks to customers starting this Sunday from midday to 4 p.m. The restaurant will repeat the service every Sunday through June to celebrate Pride Month.
The LGBTQ friendly restaurant is popular for its in-house drag events like bingo nights and viewings of the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race. However, the COVID-19 shutdown brought such entertainment to a halt.
Brian Martinez, who co-owns the eatery with his husband Adrian Suero, decided to incorporate its drag entertainment with their deliveries. They have called the service “drag-livery.”
Martinez said they conducted a trial of the service on May 17–which got rave reviews–and they are now ready to launch on Sunday.
Customers will have to pay an extra $15 to get the drag Queen service with a minimum food and drink order of $50. They will then be asked to select a song they want to see performed from a pre-selected list.
One of the four drag queens they have on the roster will then turn up at the destination, blast some music on a loudspeaker and “do a number,” Martinez said.
The performance includes a dance and lip-syncing to the music. The drag queens may briefly remove their face masks while maintaining social distancing from the customer, Martinez said.
And it’s not just the customers who are kept entertained by the girl’s curbside antics.
“The neighbors get to enjoy it too and join together and dance, so it’s a lot of fun,” Martinez said.
“People really love it because it’s very different from any other delivery out there right now,” he said.
Martinez said customers ordered the service on May 17 for birthdays and other special occasions.
“It has put a smile back on people’s faces because celebrations and gatherings have been canceled due to the shutdown,” he said.
“This made their occasion feel special again,” Martinez said.
“People love our food and drinks and now they’re getting some entertainment with their deliveries,” he said.
From June 1, Fresco’s Cantina will be open for takeout and delivery on Wednesdays to Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays from midday to 7 p.m.
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