The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted local businesses. It was especially difficult for restaurants and food services. The global situation has made it difficult for some businesses to make ends meet. Local restaurants are at the front line of this battle because their very existence depends on people’s ability to gather outdoors and enjoy meals in good company.
However, the social distancing rules made public dining almost impossible. Also, it put local restaurants in a very unfavourable position. With that in mind, here’s how you could help support your favourite local restaurant, even from home!
Order Food Online
It might not be as easy to go out like we used to before the pandemic. Yet, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a delicious meal from your favorite restaurant. Delivery services such as UberEats and Doordash make it easy to support local restaurants through food delivery. There are a lot of apps listing your favorite meal prep companies to choose and order healthy ready meals from.
Whenever you don’t feel like cooking, order something to support these businesses. It’s very easy to enjoy delicious meals at home whenever you want. Consider turning takeout dinners into a weekly habit as a treat for yourself and an act of support for local businesses.
Use Your Online Presence
Even when you don’t feel like ordering food online, there’s still a way to help local businesses stay alive. You can use your online presence to share and promote your favourite restaurants. This drives traffic to their website. Social media is extremely important these days, so don’t forget to use it.
Sharing photos of your food and tagging the restaurant on social media can make a big difference for them. If only ten people shared a local restaurant’s link or photo on Instagram, the business would likely see a spike in traffic that day. While you’re at it, consider using a VPN or virtual private network to secure your data and devices while connected to the internet.
Leave Good Reviews
Even though it feels like there’s not much you can do to help local restaurants right now, that is not true. A single positive review can make a big difference. Make it a habit to leave reviews after each food delivery. This helps other customers decide what and where to eat. Also, it gives more attention to your favorite local restaurants. While these reviews should be honest, try to keep a positive tone even when criticizing the service. Considering that we are going through a challenging period, a few positive words will motivate the employees.
Offer Help
If you are very determined to help a local business make it through this challenging period, you can offer to help them as a volunteer. The chances are that they need help. Moreover, volunteering is a great way to spend time.
If you have some extra time on your hands, offer to help promote the restaurant through social media or physically help them onsite. However, keep in mind that this is a more time-consuming task, so only choose this option if you care about the business.
Purchase Restaurant Gift Cards
Lastly, you can help local restaurants through the pandemic by encouraging your friends and family to order food from them or give them a positive review online. Besides just letting people know that a specific restaurant is an excellent place for food, consider giving them gift cards for free meals and discounts.
Many local restaurants offer gift cards you can purchase and give to other people. That way, you will not only help support a business, but you’ll also have a lovely gift to give to someone you care about.
Good Time to Stick Together
The unexpected Covid-19 outbreak set millions of businesses back, especially in sectors such as tourism and gastronomy. Local restaurants have been struggling for months to make ends meet, especially during periods of lockdown. Now is the time for all of us to get together and help each other keep a positive attitude through little acts of support.
There will always be ways to support local businesses, even if you cannot leave the comfort of your home due to lockdown and social distancing rules. Whenever you have some free time on your hands, consider putting together an honest and positive review of your favorite local restaurant and order takeout to show your support. Don’t forget to keep your safety in mind, both in terms of physical health and online security, which you can improve with VPN services
