Kindness and solidarity
21 ways restaurants changed for good
21 ways the pandemic has changed restaurants for good, with community now a focus
Big and small businesses are building a new-found community focus into their plans for 2021 and beyond
For the many chefs, owners and restaurant teams who stepped up to feed those in need, from frontline NHS workers to Britain’s homeless, their charitable work was a watershed: a moment of realisation that the hospitality industry is uniquely well positioned to offer assistance to vulnerable groups and how that boosts staff morale. In ways, big and small, progressive businesses are now trying to build outreach work into their future plans. The pandemic peak has passed, but these 21 acts of kindness and solidarity show how food’s new-found community focus will reverberate in 2021 and beyond.
1 “Fuel your future” initiative
Last August, chicken chain Nando’s (nandos.co.uk) launched FYF to support young people who struggle to get a start in life. It has since distributed around 20,000 free meals and FYF’s skills mentoring wing hopes to get 200 young people from marginalised groups into employment at Nando’s this year.
2 Chefs for life
Edinburgh’s pandemic-born Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts (emptykitchens.co.uk) keeps furloughed chefs busy cooking food for those in need, its emphasis firmly on solidarity, not charity.
3 Feel-good meals
As reported in O, the Michelin-starred Pony & Trap will reopen as a community-focussed foundation this year, but a new scheme, Nourish, will see chef-owner Josh Eggleton offer free meals across all his seven Bristol restaurants, to people referred by partner charities: “I feel you can almost heal people through food and being around others. I have the resources to offer that. If you can help, you should.” Meanwhile, at dining co-op, Breaking Bread, Team Canteen is making ready-meals (£10.40 for two; breakingbreadbristol.co.uk), which fund the production of meal packages for Bristolians facing food vulnerability.
4 Click & collect masterstroke
Since Christmas, Bertha’s Pizza (berthas.co.uk) has been creating collaboration pies with Bristol restaurants including Box-E and Wilson’s, which are only available for collection. Using the money it is saving on delivery fees (an ongoing bugbear at Bertha’s), it then donates £5 for every order over £25 to FareShare. In February, Bertha’s had already funded 4,000 meals.
5 Plant-based progress
Cardiff pay-what-you-can vegan brunch café, Wild Thing (wildthingcardiff.com), produced 11,000 free meals during the pandemic. In reviving its volunteer-run community suppers or launching free nutrition and cooking workshops, this Living Wage employer will soon push on in numerous impressive ways.
6 Crucial match
Despite hospitality’s volatility, chef Tom Brown felt it vital his restaurant, Cornerstone (cornerstonehackney.com), become a sponsor at community club, Hackney Wick FC. Founder, Bobby Kasanga, says Tom, is “an inspiration, instrumental to helping change lives in the area”.
7 Core values
Clare Smyth made headlines in January after bagging three Michelin stars. In the same month, her London restaurant