Quick Bites
Restaurant Employee Relief Fund Helps 43,000 Restaurant Workers
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation reports that 43,000 restaurant workers who suffered due to the COVID-19 crisis are being awarded $500 cash grants through the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, an initiative begun in April.
Developed in partnership with Guy Fieri, chef and host of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, the Fund was made possible through generous donations of more than fifty companies and organizations and more than fifteen thousand individual donors.
The four-month campaign raised more than $21.5 million in financial aid for struggling restaurant workers across the country. Major contributors include: Uber Eats, PepsiCo, TikTok, Constellation Brands, Netflix And Series Creators, Wingstop Restaurants Inc., and The Coca-Cola Company. All donations went directly to RERF.
For a full recap on RERF and a sampling of thank you notes from our grant recipients, please visit RERF.us.
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation reports that 43,000 restaurant workers who suffered due to the COVID-19 crisis are being awarded $500 cash grants through the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, an initiative begun in April.
Developed in partnership with Guy Fieri, chef and host of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, the Fund was made possible through generous donations of more than fifty companies and organizations and more than fifteen thousand individual donors.
The four-month campaign raised more than $21.5 million in financial aid for struggling restaurant workers across the country. Major contributors include: Uber Eats, PepsiCo, TikTok, Constellation Brands, Netflix And Series Creators, Wingstop Restaurants Inc., and The Coca-Cola Company. All donations went directly to RERF.
- One-time grants are being approved for restaurant workers in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
- Approximately sixty percent of recipients are between the ages of 21 and 35 and nearly 60 percent identify as female.
- Fifty percent of grant recipients identify as a racial minority — Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, American Indian, or Alaska Native and/or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
- Eighty percent of grant recipients report household annual incomes of less than $50,000 before being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- All applicants who met the eligibility requirements were funded.
For a full recap on RERF and a sampling of thank you notes from our grant recipients, please visit RERF.us.
Grand Rapids Restaurant Week: A New Recipe
Experience Grand Rapids is introducing the Restaurant Week GR Digital Pass! It’s a brand new way to enjoy Restaurant Week – and a great opportunity to help boost the business of local eateries during COVID-19. Download the pass to your smartphone, sign up, and then use it to check-in to participating restaurants that you order from between August 5-16. Dine-in and take-out options are available! As a bonus, when you check-in to at least four restaurants, Experience Grand Rapids will send you an exclusive foodie-themed gift. Every check-in also earns you a digital coupon for a return visit to that restaurant. One dollar per check-in (up to $5,000) will be donated to a scholarship fund for aspiring food service professionals, so your orders support the future of the local culinary scene.
More than fifty restaurants are participating, so come taste the city!
Experience Grand Rapids is introducing the Restaurant Week GR Digital Pass! It’s a brand new way to enjoy Restaurant Week – and a great opportunity to help boost the business of local eateries during COVID-19. Download the pass to your smartphone, sign up, and then use it to check-in to participating restaurants that you order from between August 5-16. Dine-in and take-out options are available! As a bonus, when you check-in to at least four restaurants, Experience Grand Rapids will send you an exclusive foodie-themed gift. Every check-in also earns you a digital coupon for a return visit to that restaurant. One dollar per check-in (up to $5,000) will be donated to a scholarship fund for aspiring food service professionals, so your orders support the future of the local culinary scene.
More than fifty restaurants are participating, so come taste the city!
AHLA: Top 5 Requirements to Travel Safely
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released the “Safe Stay Guest Checklist” for guests on how to travel safely, while also creating a standardized safety experience nationwide. This checklist is part of AHLA’s Safe Stay guidelines, an industry-wide, enhanced set of health and safety protocols designed to provide a safe and clean environment for all hotel guests and employees.
The Safe Stay Guest Checklist includes:
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released the “Safe Stay Guest Checklist” for guests on how to travel safely, while also creating a standardized safety experience nationwide. This checklist is part of AHLA’s Safe Stay guidelines, an industry-wide, enhanced set of health and safety protocols designed to provide a safe and clean environment for all hotel guests and employees.
The Safe Stay Guest Checklist includes:
- Require face coverings in all indoor public spaces and practice social distancing in all common areas.
- Choose contactless options, where available, including online reservations, check-ins, and payments.
- Consider whether daily room cleaning is necessary. Ask the hotel about your options.
- Request contactless room service delivery.
- Refrain from traveling if you have, or recently had, any symptoms of COVID-19 or contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19.
ICYMI: Industry Webinars
The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) has been hosting free essential industry webinars since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Have you missed any? Industry professionals can re-watch these webinars on the COVID-19 Webinars hub on the MRLA website!
Topics include:
The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) has been hosting free essential industry webinars since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Have you missed any? Industry professionals can re-watch these webinars on the COVID-19 Webinars hub on the MRLA website!
Topics include:
- How to De-Escalate Difficult Guests
- The Evolving Tax Situation
- How to Manage a Confirmed COVID-19 Case
- Helpful Strategies to Navigate PPP and Employee Call-Back
- Many more!
