6 TIPS FOR SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS

Even with outdoor dining this summer, many restaurants across the country have closed or remain on the brink of disaster — especially smaller, independently owned neighborhood businesses.

Loyal patrons have rallied to support their favorite local restaurants, but as the pandemic drags on, business owners have had to hustle hard to stay afloat. With colder weather in many places discouraging outdoor dining, things are set to get even harder.

Mom-and-pop restaurants, which often don’t have an online presence, now find themselves at a disadvantage to well-funded national chains, said Grace Young, cookbook author and culinary historian.

“It’s been heartbreaking to witness what’s happening to independently owned Chinese restaurants across the country, thousands of which have closed permanently,” she said.

So what can you do to help your beloved neighborhood restaurants and food businesses to weather the storm? Here are some concrete tips:

1. Eat as much takeout as possible.

Set aside a specific day to give yourself a treat and keep a local restaurant alive. Some restaurants are making frozen-food dishes and other pantry items — frozen enchiladas, dumplings, family-style meals — that will keep longer than any given night’s dinner, so be sure to ask even if they don’t advertise them. Many restaurants are also offering takeout drinks and cocktails.

2. Order straight from the restaurant.

While convenient, delivery apps like DoorDash and UberEats take a significant percentage of sales — up to 30% — and it is impossible to maintain a successful business model while using them exclusively, said Dorcia White, general manager at Everett and Jones, a family barbecue business her grandmother founded in 1973 in California. Instead of firing up an app, call your favorite restaurant and put in your order over the phone, or order directly from the restaurant’s website, if possible.

3. Pick up yourself, and pay cash.

If you can walk to the restaurant and pick up the food yourself, do so, and pay with cash. Is there a friend or family member you can help who can’t go out? Pick up a hot meal for them, too. In addition to getting some extra exercise, you’ll save the business the fees — usually about 2% of a purchase — charged by credit card companies.

4. Tip well.

A large restaurant may be able to afford servers to cater to people seated outside, but a smaller restaurant might only be able to staff a cook and a front-of-house person to pack and take orders. Many customers are tipping less, or not at all, because they perceive this to be a lower level of service than they are accustomed to when going out, said Alice Liu, who grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown and helps run Grand Tea Imports, her family’s multigenerational tea and import business. Remember that restaurant employees are working hard to provide you with a dining experience during an unprecedented time, and at a higher risk of exposure to themselves. A healthy tip is a way to show your appreciation.

5. Purchase gift cards.

Ask your restaurant if it offers gift cards or gift certificates. Many businesses now allow online or emailed gift certificates, where they might have accepted only paper options in the past. It’s a good way to support a restaurant while giving a welcome pick-you-up to someone else.

6. Ask how you can help.

If you have time and skills to donate, offer them. Community organizations have been helping restaurants build their outdoor dining infrastructure with volunteer programs. Ask if you can help by setting up GoFundMe donation pages or building simple online presences for businesses that struggle with technology.