1 of 5
Corey Miller
Chef Neil Griggs envisioned an eatery where high quality foods (with some ingredients locally sourced) would stand apart and raise the bar on established fast food restaurants.
2 of 5
Corey Miller
Melissa Keller and Neil Griggs offer take out and delivery service at Moody’s Kitchen.
3 of 5
Corey Miller
Moody’s Crispy Chicken Tender Sandwich is a staple at the eatery.
4 of 5
Corey Miller
Chef Justin Dallinger and his Drumheller Peach Pie.
5 of 5
Corey Miller
Griggs leveraged the state-mandated shutdowns that affected his flagship Cochon on 2nd to launch Moody’s Kitchen, a topflight fast food restaurant and delivery service focused on premium flavor profiles, high-quality ingredients and meals ranging from New York Strip to artisan pizzas.
“At Cochon, I refused to do to-go food because we weren’t set up to do it properly,” Neil said. “I knew I was making the right choice because my brand is the most important thing and it’s all about the quality—but every time I’m saying no, I’m also realizing I’ve got a market to feed here.”
Moody’s beginnings were unpredictable, with the pandemic acting as the catalyst. Amidst the takeout shuffle amongst the many restaurants and cafés in Williamsburg, Griggs spotted a gap in the market for pre-prepared food—evidenced by the outpouring of home meal delivery companies and to-go order requests. Originally intended to be a combination of food prep for Cochon and retail food delivery, Griggs revised his plan to answer this growing need. Moody’s is now helping support Cochon through the pandemic and beyond.
Though Moody’s was in the works prior to the pandemic, Griggs couldn’t have predicted this. “I wanted to do meal delivery and prepped food on a higher end level. I believe having a variety is the spice of life, so why not go high end?” Neil said. “While the demand was already there, the pandemic just accelerated it.”
At Moody’s, Griggs envisioned creating prepackaged meals that pushed perfection and that could easily be finished at home in a few steps. Each comes complete with reheating instructions and leaves no wasted ingredients, time or effort.
“What we’re doing is something nobody around here is doing—we’re preparing food for future cooking,” he said. “What makes us different from other to-go places is the specifically designed equipment, the quality of the ingredients and the culinary techniques we use.”
With an ever-changing menu featuring locally-sourced produce from KelRae Farms and chicken from Joyce Farms, the community-centric focus is evident in the dishes at Moody’s. Now a member of the KelRae Food Hub, Griggs aims to get his food into the homes of loyal customers and newcomers through this joint venture.
“My family has been associated with KelRae Farm for a long time and we use their produce as much as possible in our food,” Griggs said. “It’s fantastic to support [Michelle] and reflect on how she has helped support me.”
Moody’s also caters, and Griggs prices the food in a way that respects the quality and meticulous touch while keeping it affordable. Griggs hopes this innovative taste will remind customers of the fine dining restaurant experience they’ve missed during COVID-19.
“This is a premium service we’ve created—everything we do is all about the customer service,” Neil said. “Our culture here asks what we can do for you—and to put it simply, we make food that tastes good.”
Caroline loves everything about food, from supporting local restaurants to trying new recipes in her own kitchen. Since quarantine began, she has especially enjoyed creating weekly menus on a budget, whether it’s trying out a new Williamsburg restaurant or tweaking recipes found online.
