Want to support Fresno restaurants? Here’s how to help them survive the COVID-19 pandemic
These are dark days for local restaurants.
The last eight months have been full of hardship for small businesses as California battles the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business is dropping and eateries are closing. Restaurants have faced restrictions on the number of diners they can serve and at times were prohibited from doing indoor or outdoor dining.
Fresno County is now heading into a three-week stretch where only takeout or delivery food is allowed. It’s part of the state’s effort to keep intensive-care units at hospitals from getting overwhelmed.
That makes the situation for the restaurant industry even more dire, said Chuck Van Fleet, head of the Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association and owner of Vino Grille & Spirits.
“It’s grave,” he said. “We’re going to lose a lot by the end of the year. Everybody is just trying to pay bills right now.”
Last month, we told you how to shop local retailers safely. Now, we’re sharing how to support struggling restaurants. Here’s what local restaurateurs say would help them right now.
There’s even a hashtag so you can boast on social media about what you’re doing: #SaveOur LocalRestaurants.
Buy local — Independently-owned restaurants are hurting the most right now. Unlike chain restaurants, they don’t have corporate parent companies that can help keep them stay afloat during tough times. Those chains also have locations in other states not facing the same restrictions as California businesses that can help keep them alive, Van Fleet noted.
Skip the delivery apps — Food delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub and Postmates take up to 30% of the amount customers pay for their food, noted Symoné Tellawi, whose family owns the Fresno Breakfast House.
Ordering lunch or dinner through those apps also means the customer can’t tip the restaurant workers. The tips typically go the delivery drivers.
If you want to help the restaurant, call it and order directly, and pick up your food yourself.
You may find buying directly from a restaurant means your total bill is smaller, as some restaurants hike up their prices on the apps to make up for the chunk they take, Van Fleet noted.
If you dread the thought of picking up the phone, order through ChowNow, which takes a much smaller percentage of the bill from restaurants, he said. Just make sure you pick it up in person. It takes a bigger chunk if you have it delivered through ChowNow.
Tip well — Many restaurant workers rely on tips for the majority of their income. While they may be working, they’re not getting the same tips they did as when regular dining was allowed. Some restaurants also share the tips among all their workers.
Buy gift cards — But don’t use them until the pandemic is over. Even restaurant owners that have decided to close for the next three weeks say gift cards are helpful because the money can go toward paying employees and bills. Check their websites to see if they sell gift cards online or call the restaurant directly.
Order from fine dining restaurants — Almost every restaurant is hurting these days, but fast-casual restaurants that already do takeout as a big part of their business model are a little better positioned to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their upscale counterparts – restaurants where a leisurely meal is part of the experience or where people go for special occasions – may be especially hurting, Van Fleet noted.
Host a socially-distant office lunch — Group lunches and Christmas parties may not be happening this year, but that doesn’t mean companies can’t have a socially distant meal.
A local company recently bought lunches for 15 to 20 employees from Vino Grille. The meals were delivered to the office, where employees picked them up. The workers then had lunch together via Zoom from their homes.
If you want to do this, call a restaurant and ask to speak to a manager. The restaurant can set up a special limited menu within a certain price range for employees to choose from.
Donate — Some people are making donations to hospitals to feed medical staff, with the caveat that the meals be purchased from local restaurants, Van Fleet noted.
If you want a tax write off, or want your money to go to a restaurant worker who needs it the most, check out Restaurants Care online. It’s part of the California Restaurant Association Foundation, a nonprofit.
Restaurant Cares gives grants to restaurant workers who have been out of work for three months or more with no unemployment benefits, and workers or caregivers diagnosed with COVID-19.
Do the Corporate Christmas Challenge. Plan Financial, a wealth management solutions company in Fresno, couldn’t have its company Christmas party this year, so its leaders decided to donate its $2,500 budget for it to Van Fleet’s restaurant. The company is challenging other corporations to do the same, donating to their favorite local restaurant.
The company is planning a social media campaign using the hashtag #CorporateChristmasChallenge.
Contact your elected officials — Back in the spring, restaurants could get loans and grants under the Paycheck Protection Program, but that money is long gone. Some workers are reaching the end of their regular unemployment benefits and some benefits could expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t act.
Encourage your congressperson to pass a new stimulus package now, Van Fleet recommends. He suggests writing to your elected officials via the Restaurant Act website.
“That needs to be passed, or you’re going to lose a lot more businesses,” he said. “We don’t know when this is going to end. Most of these people have used their unemployment and there’s not a lot left, and it’s getting tighter and tighter.”
