6 chains including Starbucks and Krispy Kreme are offering free food and drinks for healthcare workers and other first responders

At the same time, restaurants have been dealt a catastrophic blow by sweeping closures.
But there are still at least six major restaurant chains that are now providing healthcare workers on the front lines with free food and drinks.
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As things heat up on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, some restaurants are cooking up free food for healthcare workers.

Hospitals across the country are becoming overrun , leading to stressful, exhausting workdays for many healthcare workers. And meanwhile, the pandemic has dealt a catastrophic blow to many restaurants, with one in five possibly forced to close their doors forever, according to UBS estimates.

But some major chains are still supporting healthcare workers, redirecting their supplies and workforce towards providing them with free food.

Here are six major chains that are doing just that.

Starbucks

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Reuters

Starbucks announced on March 25 that the chain would give out free coffee to anyone who identifies as a front-line responder to the pandemic through May 3. The free coffee must be a tall hot or iced brewed coffee.

This chain-wide offer came after individual store managers started similar initiatives. On March 16, an Issaquah, Washington, Starbucks store manager sent coffee to local hospitals and other vital infrastructure workers after hearing that someone in his community had died from the virus.

Krispy Kreme

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Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Krispy Kreme announced on March 28 that it would give healthcare workers free doughnuts at drive-thrus. The chain said it would give any healthcare worker free dozens of its original glazed doughnuts, provided they show their employee badge. The offer appears to be unlimited, as the press release suggested workers can "pick up some free dozens on the way to work for you and your colleagues, or maybe a free dozen on your way home to family after a long shift."

Sweetgreen

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Courtesy of Sweetgreen

On March 16, the salad chain announced it would be setting up Outposts for delivery at hospitals in the cities in which it has stores. Hospital workers can order Sweetgreen salads and bowls for free and pick them up right at their places of work.

&Pizza

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&pizza

The personal-pizza chain announced on March 14 that starting March 16, hospital workers could order free pizzas in-store or via text for delivery.

Hospital workers can show their ID at an &pizza location to get their free pizza, or they can text "#HERO" to 200-03 for a delivery code.

Nando's Peri-Peri

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Courtesy of Nando's

Nando's Peri-Peri is providing catered meals to hospitals, and the chicken chain also said it would give hospital workers free meals if they visited a Nando's restaurant in uniform and presented their hospital ID. Free meals will be available at all Nando's locations in North America through May 3.

Nando's is also offering 50 free meals a day to restaurant workers who have recently been laid off.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

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Tropical Smoothie Cafe / Yelp

On March 27, Tropical Smoothie Cafe announced its goal of donating 100,000 smoothies to healthcare workers and first responders.

"Any healthcare worker or first responder (including police officers and firefighters) can contact their local Tropical Smoothie Caf about this offer and the caf with deliver free smoothies for their team," a Tropical Smoothie Caf spokesperson told Business Insider in an email.