HONORING THE SERVICE WORKERS Who Make Our Stellar Food Scene Possible
By Scott Berson
The week-long event is sponsored by U.S. Foods and local organizations like Dragonf ly Trails, the Food Mill and Liberty Utilities, helps raise money for the Giving Kitchen, a Georgia nonprofit which provides assistance to service workers when they need help. In fact, helping, honoring and highlighting the critical role of servers and other support roles is a huge part of this year’s restaurant week, especially as the industry continues to reel from the pandemic and ongoing labor shock. By the end of 2021, nearly one in every ten restaurant workers had quit their job, according to labor data from the federal government. “The labor crisis is still facing every industry. People completely f led the industry during and
estaurant Week is back for another celebration R of the incredible culinary community in Columbus. Few other cities in Georgia can
claim as many options from as many amazing restaurateurs and chefs – from exquisite fine dining
to mouthwatering BBQ to authentic international cuisines and humble, down-home sandwich shops slinging farm-fresh ingredients, Restaurant Week is a chance to support your favorite eatery or branch something new. This year’s Restaurant Week kicks off July 25th and lasts until the end of the month. Here’s how it works: Each local restaurant will submit a three-course menu showcasing what makes their business special. All you need to do is head onto the restaurant week website, where all the participating restaurants and their menus are located, and check to make sure the restaurant does not require reservations. If you are walking into the restaurant versus reserving, be sure to ask for the restaurant week menu. It’s a great way to experience the many,
after COVID. They’ve gotten other full time positions,” Bishop said. “If you’ve ever worked in the industry, you know what it can be like. The hours are horrible for a lot of people, you never know what you’re going to bring home, and it’s a difficult lifestyle. The industry is taking a huge shift in the way they price things and take care of their employees.” Now the question, she says, is “how can the culinary industry not only survive, but thrive? What will that look like?” Part of that answer starts with honoring the service workers that keep restaurants running. That’s why a big part of this Restaurant Week will be a campaign to “show off ” tips for servers. “(We want to) showcase that tipping is the way to show your love,” Bishop said. “We’re going to do a “Show Your Tip” campaign, encouraging consumers throughout Restaurant Week to feel emboldened to take photos of their receipts with their tips and post them.” In addition to the week benefitting Giving Kitchen, Restaurant Week will wrap up with a free party for industry workers on Monday, August 31st. It’s just one more way Restaurant Week is about giving back. To learn more about Restaurant Week, or to donate to the Giving Kitchen, check out the Restaurant Week website at www.yallapr.com/ restaurantweek. “We encourage people to go out and eat, and take care of the people who take care of us so often,” Bishop said.u
many incredible dining opportunities around town in a curated, affordable way, says Katie Bishop of Yalla PR. “We are dedicated. This is one of the busiest weeks for some of these restaurants and it helps them get through this summer when a lot of people are traveling and out of town.” LocaL
15
JUNE-JULY 2022
