A ‘win-win’ for local restaurants
Annapolis Takeout group marks a year of giving back
“When did takeout ever feel like giving back to your community?” asked Jeanne Campbell Poole, creator of the Annapolis Takeout Facebook group.
“It’s usually your excuse not to cook, but now it feels like you’re doing something good. It’s a win-win,” Poole mused during an interview with The Capital.
Wednesday will be the one-year anniversary of the creation of the Annapolis Takeout Facebook group that now has more than 17,000 members.
Poole created the group because her friends, owners of Red Red Wine Bar and Dry 85, were losing business when the coronavirus pandemic hit in Maryland last March.
“I started thinking about all the down
town businesses and I started it thinking if I could get my friends to support restaurants and show how they are doing it, that could generate more business,” Poole said.
She never thought the Facebook group would grow to be as big as it has. Poole thought it would only be her personal social network, but she said, “It has been awesome.”
Poole has been living in Annapolis for more than 30 years and is the vice president at Park Lane Jewelry. She wasn’t sure if her business would be able to make it through the pandemic, but it has grown more than 400% over the past year. Many restaurants have been reaching out to Poole, appreciative of her page.
“Collectively the people in the group have made such a huge impact on the restaurant industry,” Poole said. “The word-of-mouth advertising has been so effective.”
Poole hears often that people have become regulars at restaurants that they never knew about before the pandemic. She said some of her favorites have been Botanas Fajardo, Julep, Evelyn’s, Rutabaga and Chad’s BBQ.
“Annapolis Takeout has been great at helping people get recommendations on what new restaurants to try and who has specials, new items and delivery during this past year,” said Erik Evans, executive director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership.
Capacity limits on restaurants and bars were lifted in Anne Arundel and the state of Maryland on Friday, but social distancing and mask regulations remain in place.
“I am so happy for the restaurants, and we have seen them step up during this pandemic,” Poole said. “People are so ready to resume regular lives, and I hope people’s takeout and dining habits will continue. The restaurants that have been doing well during this will really start to thrive once things keep opening up.”
Poole believes Annapolis will become more of an outdoor dining town after the pandemic.
Food truck businesses have been doing well within the Facebook group by being able to post where they will be located and when, Poole said. For instance, the Black Market Bakers truck is open from 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and Poole said people have to get there as soon as they open or the line will be long. Poole hopes as businesses and restaurants are allowed to re open for more customers, her Facebook group continues to be a positive space for people. The group is not a restaurant review group, but she allows positive feedback on the page.
“The original intention of the group was to provide free advertising for restaurants when I knew their marketing budgets would be hurt, and I know how powerful social media is,” Poole said. “We just continue as a group to support local restaurants and share our positive experiences.”
Moderating the Facebook group has been a lot of work for Poole, but since she also moved her jewelry business to Facebook because of the pandemic, it has been a simple process.
She started an operation called “Shock and Claus” during the holidays that had people leaving big tips for servers.
“People are more conscious of where their money goes, and they want it to stay in their communities,” Poole said. “Shopping with small businesses has been important during these times. We don’t to be a town full of chain restaurants and big-box stores — we want the small businesses to survive.”
Poole wants to thank all the restaurants and community members that have contributed to the page.
“I admire how hard they work to make sure at the end of the day they provide paychecks to employees, and I hope what we have done has been able to help people be employed,” Poole said.