Dinner and Drinks Tonight

Dear friends and neighbors, we should have rested today, it being the 7th day and all but we are The Queensboro, we are relentless and, like honey badgers, we won't stop!

Well, tomorrow we will, but only for a day so we can prep and plan and put together a menu for the rest of the week.

In the meantime, why don't you take a gander at our menu for tonight and see if anything strikes your fancy? We have added more dining options, more wines, more cocktails, we have a freshly-tapped west-coast style IPA from LIC Brewing Company, or how about some red sangria for your Sunday evening?

While we have your attention...

The amazing people at the James Beard Foundation have been working overtime for the past couple of weeks to try and raise awareness about the plight that restaurants face. They know this industry like nobody else, and they are worried.

Luckily, they are also really smart and they have put together a ton of information on how we can all work together to save restaurants, because - let's face it - who knows what the restaurant industry will look like once all this blows over, so if you like eating out, take a look at what they say below. If you can take some time to do even just one or two of their suggestions, we - and millions of other restaurant people - would be infinitely grateful. Thank you in advance.

Here they go:

Over the last 10 days we’ve seen hundreds of restaurants pivot from dine-in to take out to closing their doors. Up to seven million people have been laid off and chefs and restaurant owners have become fluent in the ins and outs of disaster relief and applications for emergency aid. Our team has done a hard pivot and is now working on several levels to help save the restaurant industry from complete collapse. There are things that each and every one of us can do, whether you’re a diner or industry professional.

Here are some ideas and resources: Buy and Donate Most restaurants don't have two to three months of capital in the bank to weather this storm. It is an industry that is always paying last month’s invoices today. It employs more than 16 million people. Those jobs, those businesses are at serious risk. Restaurants need people to give big tips to to-go staff, buy dining bonds, and gift certificates, and donate to employee relief funds. Even if you're not ordering take-out, you can think about the money you might have spent in a restaurant in March and consider donating it to the James Beard Foundation’s Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund. This national fund—created with support of S. Pellegrino and PATRÓN tequila—is intended to help businesses weather this crisis and prepare to reopen. Call Your Governor Emergency unemployment benefits are becoming available. The Small Business Administration is releasing loan dollars. If you're a small business (under 500 employees) you may qualify for emergency assistance through agencies in your state. We've compiled a list of state SBA links, state COVID-19 information and a handy list of governors and their contact information. If you haven't already, get calling. Call Congress, A Lot Economic recovery packages are moving in Congress. The James Beard Foundation knows our industry isn't a one-size-fits -all solution. We see promise in the work of Restaurant Opportunity Center, the National Restaurant Association, and the newly formed Independent Restaurant Coalition. There may be different types of relief needed but we are all united in one message: save restaurants. Our industry’s economic impact is huge—16 million jobs and nearly a trillion dollars in spend. But we are also made up of unique businesses that hold up local economies in every town, county, and state in the United States. Call your members of Congress and remind them we are too important to ignore and too small to let fail. This is the biggest crisis to hit our industry. It demands a powerful and constant effort to save our beloved restaurants. It is time for us all to step up—every customer, every corporation, every member of Congress. We at the James Beard Foundation look forward to being able to dine among friends. Until then, we will do everything we can to save the restaurant industry and everyone it supports, from dishwashers to bartenders and servers to cooks, farmers, and producers. Join us today. Do everything you can do to help us save restaurants.

· Donate to the Industry Relief Fund.

· Contact your state's government.

· Contact your members of Congress.

Sincerely,

All of us at the James Beard Foundation