IT WAS HARD to predict the impact quarantine would have on restaurants in Columbus. The Ohio Restaurant Association recorded that the industry employed more than 500,000 people last year; that’s 10 percent of the state’s work force.
Columbus restaurants and bars are doing everything they canto keep grills fired up and ovens cooking. In fact, many are actually working to give back to others.
Roosevelt Coffee House
Kenny Sipes of Roosevelt Coffeehouse knows firsthand how much Columbus businesses have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Roosevelt Coffeehouse is located Downtown, right in the thick of the madness.
“We closed down in March,” Sipes says. “We’re at the center of Downtown; without Downtown workers, we were at a disadvantage. We had to think of the safety of our employees and workers. We jumped on it early, and we don’t regret it.”
Though the brick-and-mortar coffeehouse is closed, the roasting facility is still up and running, which gives Sipes the opportunity to keep a few employees on staff and keep things going. Roosevelt had to lay off non-salaried employees, but has had just enough capital to survive for about eight weeks.
“We’ll have to figure it out from there,” Sipes says. “Our landlord has been very gracious.”
However grim this may sound to us, Sipes has been diligent in keeping business going in any way he can – giving back to the community in the process. Roosevelt launched a Healthcare Professionals Campaign back in March, allowing customers to buy a bag of cof- fee for a health care hero and have Roosevelt deliver it to a local facility.
Or, if you buy a bag of coffee for yourself, Roosevelt’s roaster will donate a bag to a health care professional.
“We surpassed 1,000 bags in four weeks,” Sipes says. “Which is just unbelievable. It’s nuts. It
helps us continue to employ a couple of people in the warehouse and give back at the same time.”
Roosevelt isn’t alone in its endeavors. Sipes came together with the owners of Homage, Pelotonia, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Hot Chicken Takeover to create the We Are All In This Together campaign.The goal is to provide sustenance directly to those at risk during the employee layoffs and company shutdowns during this time. The campaign hopes to feed 20,000 members of the community and asks for contributions, which will be reinvested in under-utilized restaurants and teams to meet the demand for safely-prepared meals.
“If we can make impact, even if it’s minimal financial game, it’s who we are and what we were built to do,” Sipes says. “We can shine light and create hope in the middle of this. We’re going to do as much as we possibly can.”
Chicken Salad Chick
Opening a new restaurant is exciting and nerve-wracking, and you never quite know what to expect. Add a mandatory quarantine and health crisis, and things become even more hectic. But the Westerville Chicken Salad Chick did not shy away from the challenge.Customers and guests can make online donations to provide meals to local health care workers on the front line. Just $7.99 cangive a hearty lunch to a first responder, many of whom are working such long hours that they barely have time to make themselves something to eat.
City Barbeque
What can $5 get you? At City Barbeque, it provides a slow-smoked sandwich and two homemade sides to a medical worker in a local hospital.
“We are grateful to medical professionals nationwide working around the clock to keep us all safe,” City Barbeque Founder and CEO Rick Malir says in a press release. “This is a great opportunity to show health care workers in our communities how much we appreciate them, and we’re pleased to partner with ... our guests in showing our thanks.”
CityScene readers’ favorite barbecue joint has also added an option, when ordering online, to donate a meal for a health care hero.
Condado Tacos
We all love taco Tuesdays, but during the month of April, Condado Tacos made those days even more special. Every Tuesday through the month of April, Condado Tacos gave customers the option of donating a Bud Box to a local health care hero.
For every $10 donation made online, three Bud Boxes were delivered to a Columbus hospital. Better yet, Condado matched all donations up to $5,000.When you place an order for Express Curbside Pick-Up or delivery through Condado’s online platform, select the “$10 Bud Box Donation for Healthcare Heroes” item to add it to your order. The donation will be applied to your total at checkout. Learn more at www.condadotacos.com/donate.
16-Bit Bar + Arcade and Pins Mechanical Co.
Two of the most fun places in Columbus have teamed up to give back. 16-Bit and Pins have made all gift cards and merchandise – hats, tops, T-shirts and more – 50 percent off. 100 percent of sale proceeds went directly to team members in need through the Rise Relief Program, offering support in a scary time.
Johnson’s Real Ice Cream
One of our favorite ice cream shops is cel- ebrating 70 years – a big accomplishment. Instead of a party, Johnson’s Real Ice Cream is creating a donation program called Every Scoop Counts to support A Kid Again, an organization that improves the lives of children with life-threatening conditions and their families.
“Our grandfather and father have always been very generous,” says Johnson’s CEO Matt Wilcoxon.
“As a company focused on bringing joy to families, this is a great partnership for us.”
A Kid Again makes that happen. Starting May 1, Johnson’s Real Ice Cream has donated 25 cents from the sale of every pint of ice cream sold. Better yet, Giant Ea- gle is matching Johnson’s contribution from pints sold at its locations.
“It’s great to see the local business community band together to support Colum- bus,” Wilcoxon says. “We are very impressed when companies that are struggling with major hits to their income still find ways to give back. We’re inspired by it.”
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
