Top 10 Ways To Support Restaurants Right Now
Restaurants and food businesses are suffering right now.
We on our knees, and hundreds of thousands of people in Texas food industry are effectively unemployed.
The struggle is real, but here is how a customer like you can help back and give support to local food industry.
Top 10 Ways To Support Restaurants Right Now:
If you have an issue with a restaurant, give them an opportunity to fix it before going to social media and telling everyone what bad experience you had. No restaurant is perfect, especially in the situation we are currently in, but rest assured that whenever a problem shows up, they do their best to fix the issue immediately.
We need to have patience and understanding going both ways, to the restaurants and to the customers. There are many new safety standards and protocols, ordered by state, or the city, or the county. Restaurants are pivoting, and it's hard for everybody, so let's have patience.
Try to limit your modifications to the menu if possible. Respect new menu items, and don’t try to customize and order out of the menu, it’s not the time to do that. Try to be less picky than usual.
Support restaurants online. Let people know if you’re going to a place and have a good experience. Tell them where it’s at, the hours, take a picture. Food places need help with marketing. Spread the love for the place you’re passionate about.
Have your phone ready when you are doing pickup at the curb-side. Show up at the time that's designated, park where they tell you, be available and follow the rules. We have to accommodate during this time.
Please respect any rules the establishment has in place and don’t cause a scene. Rules are there for a reason, and nobody is trying to bring you down or take away your rights. Restaurants have a legal obligation to impose some of the rules. And if you don’t agree, don’t eat there.
Order from the place directly and avoid delivery companies if possible. Delivery companies have huge commissions, and they charge both restaurants and you as a consumer. Restaurants work on small margins, and they are losing money or breaking even at best. So call the restaurant first and try to deal with them directly.
Change your expectations. Restaurants are not going to look and feel the same as before Covid-19.
If you have disposable money, spend it! Dine out, tip, buy extra food from the restaurants, go to farmers' market, get stuff from all over, order for your family, send it as a gift. Spread the love right now if you have the ability to do that.
Support local. By local I mean Joe’s pizza place down the corner that doesn’t have any other location and is not part of a corporate chain. They need our support. McDonald’s is NOT a local business, and they will be fine anyway. Go to small places, food trucks, or local diners. These are the times when those local businesses need help.