This is part 2 of a 3-part series. Part 1 is an overview of the restaurant industry and the current COVID-19 crisis. Part 2 offers ways that anyone can help from home. Part 3 provides resources for those in the industry.

The topic of this article is poignant to us here at Ocean Hugger, as we have seen firsthand the damage that this pandemic is inflicting on our restaurant partners. We are committed to supporting our restaurant partners by spreading awareness of and resources on this topic. We are all in this together.

This is a living article, and we will continue to update it as we gain new information & resources.

PART 2: HOW YOU CAN HELP

In Part 1 of this article series, we discuss the unique importance of the restaurant industry both culturally and economically, and look at the devastating effects that COVID-19 is having on the industry and its people. Here we dive into ways that anyone can offer support to their favorite restaurants and the foodservice industry as a whole in this time of crisis.

No matter where you’re located, there are so many amazing ways to get involved in this issue and help. Between advocacy, financial support, and spreading the word, we’re all in this together. Let’s show our restaurant community that we’re here for them and always will be.

Contact your local government to advocate for the industry

Call Your Reps: Call your representatives and senators at 202-224-3121 to demand that restaurants (including independent restaurants) be a part of the federal stimulus plan. Here is RESY’s COVID-19 Contact List of Government Officials by State.

Sign key petitions

Save America’s Restaurants: To governors, mayors, and legislators to take actions that will, “give [their] local restaurants the best chance for survival.”

ROAR: Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants: A call to Governor Cuomo of NYC to implement an 8 point plan to put restaurants in a position to reopen, rehire, and eventually help their community.

International Foodservice Distributors Association: With restaurants & bars closing or limited to carry-out, foodservice distributors that supply them are seriously struggling. Sign this petition to support legislation that would relieve this capital crisis for all businesses immediately.

$2000/month to every American: Calls on Congress to support families with a $2,000 payment for adults and a $1,000 payment for kids immediately, and continuing regular checks for the duration of the crisis.

Support your local restaurants

Community support for local restaurants is essential. Remind these restaurants that their community is still here, and is rooting for them more strongly than ever. Here are some great ways to show support:

Order takeout and delivery from your favorite restaurants. RESY has compiled lists of restaurants by city that have switched to take out and delivery.

Purchase gift cards from your favorite restaurants to help them recover some lost revenue. Help Main Street, Open Table, and Support Local are great platforms for that, and in many cases you can also visit your restaurants’ websites to purchase a gift card. Want to get your friends and family involved? Buy a gift card to (or order takeout from) your favorite restaurants through Rally for Restaurants, share it on social media with the tag #RallyforRestaurants, then tag the restaurant you’ve chosen and your friends/family to challenge them to support the cause too!

Purchase products & merchandise. That branded hoodie from your favorite neighborhood restaurant you’ve been eyeing? Now might be the perfect time to get it. Check the restaurant’s website and social media to see what they may be offering in the way of merchandise.

If you can, tip even more generously than usual. When you order takeout or delivery, add in an extra tip if you can. It will be immensely appreciated by workers in this financially precarious time.

Donate

“Restaurants are for-profit operations, at least in theory, but, for those of us who can’t imagine life without them, they act more like cultural institutions. If you’d give money to keep the opera going, why not pay a little to keep the restaurant workers afloat?” -- Pete Wells, New York Times. List courtesy of RESY.

Feeding America — Feeding America works with food banks across the country to provide food to people in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is even more need for food banks. 

Order’s Up — Make a single or continuous contribution to a restaurant to help keep it financially viable. They in turn will cook and deliver a meal to those in need.

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation — RWCF has established a Restaurant Workers COVID19 Crisis Relief Fund to immediately direct money to organizations leading on-the-ground efforts in the restaurant community,

Support Workers in Crisis/One Fair Wage  — Tipped workers and other service workers were already struggling. OFW is providing cash assistance to restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers and more who need the money they aren’t getting to survive. 

Clinicians Meal Support Sponsors (SF) — Donate $1K to a San Francisco restaurant and it will feed 50 hospital workers ($20/meal). 

Hook Hall Helps (DC)

Southern Smoke Foundation (TX)

USBG Bartender Emergency Assistance (National)

World Central Kitchen (National)

Hospitality United Tee (CHI)

Keep the conversation going

So much of rallying help is simply spreading information. These issues are not always front of mind when a crisis turns everything on its head. Spread awareness of these issues to your friends, family, and colleagues, and use these hashtags to join the conversation:

#KeepRestaurantsOpen, #TooSmalltoFail, #ServiceStimulus, #SaveFandB, #RestaurantCommunity