RESTAURANTS GO TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Owners connecting with community
Restaurant owners are finding new ways to engage with their community during a global pandemic that has turned the industry upside down.
For many, social media has proven to be the tool of choice to help grab the attention of potential customers and to bring fellow restaurateurs together during a time of great uncertainty. On March 16, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed executive order 20209, which ordered all restaurants to close dine-in services. That order expires May 28.
This week, Sharon Juergens, co-owner of Diamond Jim Brady’s Bistro in Novi, started the “Novi Eats” Facebook page to help restaurants in the community be better able to engage with each other and their customers.
She recently visited another area restaurant to pick up some food at the curbside. The feeling of not being able to walk inside to enjoy a meal and visit with friends made her feel disconnected.
“I thought that we needed somewhere for restaurateurs and their guests to connect and share information,” she said. “It’s a very competitive industry, but right now we’re just rooting for each other because it’s us against this pandemic. It’s all of us, not just as restaurateurs, but as people. I want people others to succeed because without them, it’s not a neighborhood anymore.”
For many restaurants right now, operations and hours can change day-to-day based on availability of staff and food due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Juergens hopes that the page will help alert customers to any changes to area menus and restaurant operations, much faster than posting on a website. She added that the page allows for more timely engagement with the community.
“I hope this page allows for a
new appreciation, not only for the businesses, but the guests as well,” she said. “Maybe it can bring about more gratitude and give people a better sense of community. It’s a scary time. There are a lot of questions...We’re super excited about having people back in the dining room again, but we’re nervous about it. It’s going to make for a tight year.”
Royal Oak resident Ben Gembis created the “Royal Oak Eats” Facebook page more than a year ago. He never anticipated how this page would help to serve a community during a global pandemic and much unrest in the restaurant industry.
“The local restaurants have posted pictures, menus, times, and what they are doing as far as social distancing,” he said. “These restaurants, who are not traditional carryout businesses, have seen an uptick in their business. We’ve also seen restaurants that shutdown two months ago that are starting to come back online, which is great. They are coming to Royal Oak Eats to announce that.”
He wants the page to maintain its positive tone during times of much negativity.
“It makes me feel good because my family lives in this community,” he said. “The residents are propping (restaurants) up and supporting them. They are the ones really doing the footwork here.”
“These restaurants, who are not traditional carry-out businesses, have seen an uptick in their business. We’ve also seen restaurants that shutdown two months ago that are starting to come back online, which is great. They are coming to Royal Oak Eats to announce that.”
— Ben Gembis, Royal Oak resident