Believe it or not, the overall general population enjoys helping others. Here’s how restaurants are coming together to support their communities. Independently owned and chain restaurants are keeping their hands clean and aprons on to provide continued services so that their community is provided for. This is a spectacular way to portray the reality that COVID-19 quarantine is not going to last forever. 2020 might have shown us a rough start, but 2021 is going to be one for the books. Remain optimistic.
Community is important and the factor of human contact and connection is deeply rooted in restaurants. How you choose to combat this and adapt to crisis is up to you as a restaurant owner, manager and supporter.
The Core of Restaurants
The core to restaurants and the hospitality industry is the people. It makes sense then to support the very people who without, your establishment simply wouldn’t exist. The industry is responding and pivoting to support the cause. The following is a list of just a few companies and restaurants who are providing support during COVID-19:
- & Pizza
- DiBellas Subs
- Everytable
- Starbucks
- Sweetgreen
Free Pizza For Those on the Front Line
With various locations throughout New England, &pizza is offering food to those on the front-lines helping others during the COVID-19. Offering free pizza to doctors, nurses, firefighters, and to all those who don’t have the option to stay home. Come in, show your work ID and get a free pizza. In addition, as a patron, you can call and order a pizza for those working on the front-lines and get a free pizza in return. Not to mention the free delivery as this is also another valor effort to feed those who need to be fed. Pizza is certainly loved by most, if not all of the world. What better way to support the community than by delivering a hot pizza pie? This is just one example of how restaurants are coming together to support their communities. Hero-pies.
Subs For Your Service
President of Dibellas Subs, Peter Fox is offering all first-responders 50% off their orders and free delivery. Additionally, all non-discounted proceeds will go directly to community food banks. Dibellas is a 44-unit NY-based sandwich shop ready, able, and willing to step up in order to support their community.
“Our goal at DiBella’s has always been to treat our team, guests and community as family. Our food brings comfort and right now, it fills an important need to provide a meal. The world is changing and we must adapt to those changes to help meet the current needs of our community.”
Everytable For Everyone
L.A. based, Everytable is on a mission to provide nutritious, fresh-made food from scratch at fast food prices. Healthy and cheap? Win-win. The Everytable hotline gives priority to those groups who are at higher risk, specifically the senior population. During this time, Everytable has made it clear that if you need food, call them. They will deliver to you or to whomever you request and order for. “We want everyone to know they always have a spot at our table. If you need 10 meals or 10,000 meals, call us.” – Sam Polk.
“This is a time for us all to become one big, great human family and take care of each other.” – Sam Polk Founder & CEO, Everytable
Starbucks is Stepping Up
Starbucks rolled out an effort to help those on the front-line with a free coffee. Hot, cold, or a tea. Show your ID and you will be thanked.For companies who are feeling the hit but are willing to help, that shows a lot, so kudos to Starbucks for stepping up.
Sweetgreens Giving Sweet Thanks
Showing amazing support to healthcare workers, Sweetgreens has a goal of donating 100,000 meals. Delivering fresh and free salads and bowls to local hospitals. Partnering with the World Central Kitchen, chef and humanitarian José Andrés’ is using the power of food to heal and strengthen communities. Sweetgreens and Andrés’ created the Sweetgreens Impact Outpost Fund. 100% of the proceeds will go to providing free meals to those working each day on the front line.
“We’re so grateful for the hospital workers + medical personnel who are putting others before themselves during this critical time.”
Evolving to Meet The Needs of The Community
From the above, you witness how restaurants are coming together to support their communities. These are the companies who will survive, because they know that by providing and giving, they will, in turn, receive. There is no better mode of providing during this time of crisis than by providing food – a staple to keep the community alive. How restaurants are coming together to support communities during the COVID-19 crisis will be the reason the economy is able to bounce back more quickly. Trust.
What The Restaurant Community Truly Means
Keywords in the hospitality include: warmth, generosity, neighborliness, community. Now more than ever restaurants are seeing just how important it is to support their community not only for their desire to provide, but also for their own longevity and saving grace.
“We always said we want to change the world through the power of food, and I do believe that phrase has a huge meaning today.” – Chef José Andrés
Point being: those restaurants who are reaching out to the community and creating this hub of support are also placing themselves ahead of those commercial restaurants who are just in the game for profit. The restaurant community is significantly large. As a restaurateur, providing for that community is pivotal. By providing, you separate the wannabe’s from the real McCoys.
Food is Family
Even more is this strong emphasis during these trying times to also remember the value of food in bringing people and their communities closer together. Think back to those evenings around the dinner table with your family and what that meant for you. Moreover, what about those who never got the chance to sit around a dinner table with family. These restaurants are giving them a feeling of love that might have been missed. Food is more than fuel and it is more than meat and potatoes, food is family.
Below is an excerpt from Sam Siftons cookbook, “See You on Sunday that brings to light the deeper meaning behind food and how important the restaurant industry is. I remember as a child, gathering around the table most nights, but Sundays were always that much more special for reasons unknown until now. In a time when gathering is shunned and prohibited, reminisce. Be blessed to have had those moments. Look forward to sharing those moments again – and this time, with a more profound appreciation. I will end with this:
“People are lonely. They want to be a part of something, even when they can’t identify that longing as a need. They show up. Feed them. It isn’t much more complicated than that. The point of Sunday dinner is just to have it. Even if you don’t particularly like entertaining there is great pleasure to be had in cooking for others, and great pleasure to be taken from the experience of gathering to eat with others. Sunday dinner isn’t a dinner party. More than entertainment. It is just a fact, like a standing meeting or a regular touch football game in the park. Life is a little better, almost every time.”See You on Sunday by Sam Sifton
Fliptable Family
Fliptable supports families and food. We know the meaning behind connecting around the table, because oftentimes, it is the gathering around a table that breathes ideas and strengthens support. For those of you wondering how you will ever gain traction again – employed in the restaurant industry, fear not. Fliptable is here. And, for those who are scratching their heads wondering how they will ever bounce back because their staff has been laid off or left for respectable reasons – there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Get ahead of the game. Sign up today to be the first to test our app launching soon.
