Crispy Edge is making the best of a difficult moment in the restaurant industry with a new business plan. The Tower Grove South restaurant and manufacturing facility has agreed to provide its signature potstickers to local Schnucks stores.
“We’re so excited to be a part of Schnucks and bring five varieties of our locally produced potstickers,” says Crispy Edge owner David Dresner. Starting Monday, Crispy Edge’s globally inspired potstickers will be available at 50 Schnucks stores across the St. Louis area. Dresner and a skeleton team of four employees are working around the clock to make more than three tons of potstickers for the order. Local supplier Fox River Dairy is handling the distribution.
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Varieties will include fan favorites with meat such as “Cheeseburger” with onion dough, cheeseburger filling, bibb lettuce wrap, tomato mayo, and dill relish; “Traditional” with crispy edge dough, ginger pork and cabbage filling, and citrus ponzu glaze; “Buffalo Chicken” with garlic herb dough, chicken filling, and buffalo glaze; and “Chorizo Date” with turmeric dough, chorizo and date filling, and lemon pepper cream.
Schnucks will also sell some of its popular vegan potstickers including “Lemongrass Chicken” with lemon pepper dough, plant-based chicken and lemongrass filling, and coconut kaffir lime cream.
A 14-ounce bag will sell for $13.99 at Schnucks.
Food safety is paramount at Crispy Edge, says Dresner. The restaurant mass-produces its potstickers while strictly adhering to federal, state, and local guidelines. “We’re inspected every day we produce,” Dresner says. “All our standard operating procedures are rigidly enforced, and everything we do is scientifically backed.”
Jesse Stuart, director of operations at Crispy Edge, helped broker the restaurant’s recent deal with Schnucks. “As a native St. Louisan, Schnucks is the grocery store I grew up on. It’s an incredible opportunity to get our good, wholesome food on their shelves,” Stuart says.
The partnership comes after many others that the restaurant has developed since opening two years ago. Crispy Edge currently sells its potstickers at local grocers including Straubs and Local Harvest, and also supplies wholesale clients.
Meanwhile, Dresner and his team are working on opening a new facility at Washington Avenue and Jefferson Avenue downtown. There will be a “really nice retail operation” and factory at the new location, Dresner says, without giving away too many details.
The restaurant’s main focus at the moment is supplying its clients and ensuring it stays connected with customers. After it produces the initial order for Schnucks, Crispy Edge plans to open again April 14 for curbside carryout and delivery. It’s also conducting potsticker-making classes on Facebook Live, where a recent tutorial drew 52 attendees.
“We’re figuring out creative ways to stay relevant,” Dresner says. “We definitely are preaching positivity right now. This experience has brought us together.”
