Responding To COVID-19

As partners of the culinary world since 1922, the current situation brings us back to the essential values of the culinary industry: sharing and solidarity. In that spirit, we are adapting our activity on social networks. Please tell us about any initiatives that you’ve put in place to help you and your employees overcome this situation, and we will share them on our official accounts.

How you can take action:

• First and foremost, contact your local representatives in Congress, and tell them to support restaurants and their employees.
• Sign the petition by American chefs to  save America’s restaurants.
• The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) was formed to save local restaurants affected by COVID-19. IRC is founded on the simple belief that there is power to affect legislative change if we unite our voice.

Our partner, the James Beard Foundation has put together a toolkit focused on helping you advocate for yourselves and your community, for the urgent support you and your businesses need.

Activist groups:
Industry United
COVID-19 Hospitality Task Force
Hospitality Industry Alliance: COVID-19
Innovations in Hospitality: COVID-19

Nonprofit organizations and relief funds:

• Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation is an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. All donations will go toward direct relief to individual restaurant workers, nonprofit organizations serving restaurant workers in crisis, and zero-interest loans for restaurants to get back up and running.
• The James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Relief Fund is gathering support from corporate, foundation, and individual donors to provide micro-grants to independent food and beverage businesses in need.
• Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) grants support to children of food and beverage service employees navigating life-altering circumstances.
• Golden Rule Charity is an organization that helps the hospitality industry in times of need. See their page to donate or apply for a grant.
• Lee Initiative is accepting donations to their Restaurant Workers Relief Program.
• Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help documented and undocumented restaurant workers who lose their jobs during the pandemic.
• Unite Here is collecting funds for workers who have been laid off due to COVID-19 and their families.
• One Fair Wage has established an Emergency Coronavirus Worker Support Fund.
• Support Restaurants has created a Dining Bonds program to get funds into the hands of restaurants now, even if they are closed.
• Rally for Restaurants helps you purchase gift cards for restaurants you can’t visit in person.
• Facebook has created a Small Business Grant Program.
• Giving Kitchen provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources.

Other resources: 

• Fast Company Restaurant Diaries – a compilation of commentary from chefs and opinion pieces regarding the response to COVID-19
• OpenTable – Practical financial tips from restaurateurs during the COVID-19 crisis
• Eater – How restaurant owners can talk to landlords about COVID-19
• Rally for Restaurants – a grassroots initiative to help customers support restaurants amidst the COVID-19 health crisis by ordering takeout, gift cards and meal kits
• Food and Wine – What Everyone in the restaurant industry should know about the Coronavirus stimulus package
• US Small Business Administration: The 7(a) loan program is the SBA's primary program for providing financial assistance to small businesses. Bar and Restaurant Expo: COVID-19 Planning: 90 Ways to Survive the Next 90 Days for Bars and Restaurants
• Eater – relief funds for restaurants, bars, and food service workers
• Eat News – resources organized by state
• Eater – everything restaurant and delivery workers need to know about the new paid sick leave laws
• Eater – what some restaurants are doing to combat food waste in the wake of restaurant closures
• James Beard Foundation – a comprehensive list of resources for restaurants and people who want to help support restaurants
• Cherry Bombe – resources for businesses impacted by the Coronavirus
• National Restaurant Association – information about COVID-19 safety
• Oyster Sunday – legal and logistical information for restaurant owners
• NYC.gov – assistance and guidance for small businesses impacted by Coronavirus
• Food and Wine – expert advice for restaurants on how to pivot to delivery and takeout services
• Food and Wine – What to do when you've been laid off from your service job
• Bon Appétit – day-by-day updates and stories from restaurant workers as the situation unfolded. These are the personal stories of people who have had to deal with the realities of being out of work, such as going without paychecks, taking out loans, closing their businesses, fear of losing their homes, etc.

Canadian resources:

• SaveHospitalityCA – a coalition of independent Canadian restaurateurs and suppliers that came together to create a unified voice asking for immediate government support for the hospitality industry.
• Restaurants Canada – COVID-19 updates & resources for foodservice operators
• Government of Canada – resources for Canadian businesses
• Small Business BC – resources for small businesses affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Montreal Resto Relief Fund by Tastet 
• Feast On (Culinary Tourism Alliance) has created a map of its restaurants and purveyors in Ontario that are offering takeout and delivery.
• Daily Hive is offering free social media promotion to restaurants in Vancouver that are offering takeout and delivery.
• Daily Hive is building a list of all restaurants in Vancouver that are offering takeout and delivery.
• Daily Hive – WeCook Meals in Quebec is offering four weeks of free meals to 300 beneficiary attendants, nurses, and doctors across the province.
• Daily Hive – Select Canadian grocery stores to implement designated senior shopping hours
• Share the Goods is a matching service for people to buy groceries or supplies for those who can’t do it themselves.
• MSN – help Chinese restaurants in Vancouver
• The Star – Servers-turned-drivers help restaurants move to delivery to survive the COVID-19 crisis
• Vancouver Food + Beverage Community Relief Fund