Trip Advisor and The Fork introduce initiatives to help people support local restaurants
Trip Advisor and The Fork are supporting the hospitality industry with a range of new initiatives for people to spend money with their favourite local restaurants.
The announcement:
TRIP ADVISOR AND THE FORK LAUNCH INITIATIVES TO HELP SAVE THE LOCAL RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
First phase of travel, tourism and hospitality recovery effort enables people to support local restaurants they love by making it easy to purchase gift cards and discover takeaway services on Trip Advisor and The Fork
The Fork to launch Save Our Restaurants where consumers can “sponsor” their favourite restaurants by purchasing a voucher for later use
The Trip Advisor Foundation is committing $1 million to support organisations serving the most vulnerable populations around the world in response to COVID-19
Trip Advisor, the world’s largest travel platform, and The Fork, one of the world’s leading online restaurant reservation platforms, have launched a number of new initiatives to provide immediate economic support to the restaurant industry. Both platforms are enabling diners and travellers to assist in the recovery of hospitality businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trip Advisor and The Fork are taking action to help more than 80,000 eateries listed on their platforms, such as encouraging takeout or delivery and gift card purchases at a favourite restaurant. Gift voucher purchases, in particular, serve as much needed donations to help restaurant operators pay their rent, continue to pay employees, and fund other critical expenses.
Restaurants listed on Trip Advisor and The Fork platforms that have a new takeaway service, can now give visibility to their new offering on both websites. This enables diners to easily identify restaurants that are now offering pick-up or delivery, and place those orders swiftly, calling the restaurant directly off the listing.
The Fork will also soon be launching the Save Our Restaurants campaign, where Australian diners can “sponsor” their favourite restaurant by purchasing a voucher that they can use when the restaurant re-opens. This will allow diners to rally together to raise money for restaurants to help them get through this unprecedented time. Diners are being encouraged to support their much-loved local or create a wish-list of restaurants that they can look forward to experiencing once the crisis has passed.
The Fork is committed to supporting restaurants and helping the entire restaurant industry in these difficult times. All restaurants, whether they are currently using The Fork or not, will be able to be listed on the platform and accept donations from generous supporters.
“The restaurants we love are really suffering, their revenue has stopped and they’ve had to stand down their hard-working teams. We’re calling on diners to dig deep and support your favourite restaurant, which will be a tremendous help for them to survive the crisis. We want to see the industry that we all love bounce back quickly when this is over,” explains Gary Burrows, Country Manager, The Fork Australia.
Additionally, Trip Advisor and The Fork are calling on their own global communities to help generate much-needed awareness to causes that are supporting the industry during this time of need. Diners can also show their appreciation for a restaurant or chef on social media with the #LoveYourLocal or #DiningInWithTheFork hashtags.
The Trip Advisor Foundation is committing $1 Million to support organisations serving the most vulnerable populations around the world in response to COVID 19. Initially, within the hospitality sector, the Foundation will contribute $1 (up to $150,000 USD globally) for each Tripadvisor review posted or shares of the #LoveYourLocal hashtag on public Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts. Proceeds will go to two organisations helping impacted restaurant and front line workers: World Central Kitchen and The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. See more details below on ways to participate.
5 Ways Diners Can Help Their Local Favourites
In Australia, more than 22,000 restaurants employ nearly 180,000 people. Many restaurant businesses have seen their income substantially reduced or even eliminated altogether as a result of the necessary social distancing measures.
Trip Advisor and The Fork are highlighting new ways that customers can provide much needed support for their favourite restaurants during this period. Here are five ways diners can help:
- Reward your old favourites – Do you have a favourite place to dine that never lets you down? Call the owners or check on Trip Advisor or The Fork to see if they can deliver meals to you. Consider ordering a meal for delivery as often as you would normally. It could make all the difference for that business!
- Don’t assume – You might think a local restaurant doesn’t offer delivery, but they may have changed their policy in response to the outbreak. Double check before you dismiss that option so you don’t miss out.
- Buy a voucher – Lots of restaurants offer gift card purchases that you can redeem for a meal at a later date. These purchases can serve as a microloan for the hospitality industry and provide much needed cash flow for restaurants. Now, Trip Advisor and The Fork are also enabling gift voucher purchases. Check to see if your favourite restaurants feature this option on their Trip Advisor or The Fork listing page.
- Trigger a match donation – Share photos and recommendations of your favourite restaurants and chefs in a Trip Advisor review or by sharing #loveyourlocal on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. The Trip Advisor Foundation will contribute $1 in match donations to good causes (up to $150,000 USD) each time you do!
- Discover hidden gems – In search of something new that you haven’t tried before? You can still find new dining experiences locally by searching online. There are more than 80,000 restaurants in Australia listed on Trip Advisor and The Fork, with many adding delivery service options in response to local travel restrictions.
Source: Trip Advisor press release
