Legendary Soul Food Diner Reports Collard Greens Shortage

The Florida Avenue Grill says it has been hit by a nationwide shortage of collard greens caused by irregular weather patterns related to climate change. Popville reported yesterday that the legendary Soul Food spot in Cardozo has been advertising its inability to serve the staple side with a sign posted on the front door.

The destination for half-smokes, biscuits, and catfish and grits was established in 1944. It bills itself as America’s oldest continually operating black-owned restaurant.

It’s unclear how long the sign has been up, or how long the restaurant has been out of stock on collard greens. Florida Avenue Grill staff did not respond to Eater’s requests for comments yesterday.

Several Florida Avenue Grill patrons noted in the comments of PoPville’s post that collard greens have been available across other store and restaurant locations in the Metro D.C. area in recent months.

While the impacts of the shortage in D.C. may have quelled, there’s no word yet on when the diner hopes to have collard greens back on their menu.

The collard green shortage swept the country in December, 2018. Just months prior, hurricanes Florence and Michael hit the southeastern region of the U.S., where the plant is grown en masse by farms like WP Rawl — which reported their crops experiencing stunted growth caused by irregular rainfall, high winds, and other hurricane-related damage.

By December, the effects of these weather patterns on the market were clear: Numerous restaurants reported having trouble finding collard greens from their typical suppliers.

• Collard Greens Shortage Hits Florida Avenue Grill!!! [PoPville]
• Collard Greens Shortage Threatens New Year’s Day Good Luck Recipe [Newsweek]
• Blame Extreme Weather For A Collard Greens Shortage This Christmas [Forbes]
• All Florida Avenue Grill coverage [EDC]