Let’s Eat Well and Help Others at the Same Time

People are creative. People are good. People are serious about helping others.

The food industry, hit so hard by closings and layoffs, is struggling at its core, but reaching out to help employees and customers, even as restaurant owners see their finances take a dive.

This – and so many things all of you are doing – is what keeps us going. Here are some ways to join in, and I’d love to hear from you if you have a suggestion we haven’t written about yet. (My email address is Lynn@BocaMag.com.)

What you can do for neighbors, delivery folks

Pictured is what a friend of mine is doing in her neighborhood: Putting a basket of paper goods and other supplies out, much like a Little Library, where you can take one if you need something and leave something if you have spares to offer. Brilliant idea!

My front door isn’t accessible to passers-by, so I’ve adopted a form of this since I am visited frequently by delivery people (U.S. Post Office, FedEx, UPS, Amazon, etc.). My basket has a sign that asks the delivery folks – who are working very hard for long hours – to take what they need, OR if they know someone on their route who’s having problems finding supplies, that they please pass something along to that customer. Who better to know about shut-in folks having problems getting things than delivery people?

What you can do for restaurants

Besides being a good take-out customer to your favorite restaurants, you can also buy gifts cards and save some money, too.

One of my favorite venues, Table 26 https://swipeit.com/product/2005/table-26 in West Palm Beach, came up with an innovative way to raise money and pay customers back. They are selling Gift Card Bonds (that’s what they’re calling them), which means for example, if you buy a $100 gift card for Table 26, they will take off 26 percent now, and then after Jan. 1, 2021, you can redeem the gift card for its full amount – found money at your favorite restaurant! This works for them, because they don’t have to worry about being hit hard by gift card bearers later this year whenever we return to our semi-normal state, and they give customers free money for meals next year. Other restaurant gift cards are being sold with this kind of deal, too, so be sure to check when you buy one.

Some restaurants with gift card discounts now, or who are donating gift card money directly to their employees:

Caffe Luna Rosa, Delray Beach http://www.caffelunarosa.com/ (offering 15 percent discount on gift cards, to be used after virus crisis restrictions lift)
The Cooper (through today), Palm Beach Gardens https://www.thecooperrestaurant.com/ (offering half-price gift cards)
1000 North, Jupiter https://www.1000north.com/ (offering 25 percent off gift cards)
PGA Commons (offering half-price gift cards), which includes Kabuki-Sushi-Thai-Tapas, Prosecco Café, Spoto’s Oyster Bar, The Cooper https://pgacommons.com/
Casa D’Angelo/Angelo Elia venues (giving 100 percent of gift card revenue to the employees) https://www.angeloelia.com;
TooJay’s Deli (giving 10 percent of gift card sales to employees) https://www.toojays.com;
Harvest Seasonal, Boca (offering 10 percent off all gift cards) https://harvestseasonalgrill.com;
Oceano Kitchen, Lantana (offering 20 percent off gift cards for $100 or more) https://oceanokitchen.com/.