This weekend, Gramps will offer a first round of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The vaccines are being distributed by Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade Fire Department in coordination with Noni Health.
As an added incentive to get jabbed, a pizza slice and a cocktail is on Gramps for everyone who comes in and gets vaccinated.
Think of it as a way to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID while winning on Instagram. After all, your friends only have pictures wearing a little "I Got a Vaccine" sticker — you're going to be wearing that sticker with a slice of pizza in your hand while enjoying a cocktail. Talk about Miami flexing.
Everyone who gets their first shot at Gramps this weekend can get their second round of Pfizer May 22 and 23.
Same jab, same pizza and cocktail, by the way.
Gramps owner, Adam Gersten tells New Times that the idea behind the vaccination day was to help hospitality workers in the Wynwood/Midtown area get a vaccine by bringing the site to a hospitality center. He says he contacted Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's office with the idea.
"I reached out to the mayor to see who was in charge of the vaccine pop-up sites. From there I was directed to discuss logistics with the fire department. I'm thankful that they responded in a positive manner and that the fire department was so cool about it."
The only thing that would have made it better from Gersten's point of view is if the vaccine day had come sooner.
"It's a little bit bittersweet that it's almost mid-May and people in the hospitality industry have been working essentially as frontline workers and it's taken this long for many to get the vaccine," he says.
Though Gersten encourages hospitality workers to take advantage of his vaccination pop-up, he wants it to be perfectly clear that the shot-and-a-pizza-and-a-shot deal is for everyone who wants it. He has been in touch with community leaders in Wynwood and Overtown to make sure the word gets out.
"The idea of bringing COVID testing and vaccines to the people is such an obvious thing," he adds.
The shots will be administered by licensed nurses and will be recorded and tracked the same as at any other vaccine site. Each person who gets the first dose of Pfizer at Gramps will receive a vaccination card and a spot to get their second vaccine at Gramps May 22 and May 23. No pre-registration is required. Just show up.
As for the pizza and cocktail? After the mandatory post-injection observation interlude, you'll receive a free slice of pizza from Pizza Tropical and the shot — or cocktail, beer, or soft drink — of your choice.
As far as Gersten is aware, this is the first Miami-area restaurant or bar to offer itself up as a vaccine site, but he encourages other establishments to step up.
"I hope that places where there's a concentration of service-industry folks will host their own vaccine pop-up site," he says, adding that any interested restaurant or bar operators should give him a call.
COVID vaccines at Gramps. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 8-9, at 176 NW 24th St, Miami; 855-732-8992; gramps.com. Pre-registration is not necessary. Everyone getting a Pfizer vaccination will receive a free slice of pizza and a cocktail.
