Small businesses represent the heart and soul of a community, they are the social, cultural, and economic backbone of neighborhoods, none more so than restaurants and bars. Unfortunately, hospitality in New York City has been the hardest hit industry, in the hardest-hit state, in the hardest-hit city of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 80% of the hospitality workforce has been laid off. Even more alarming, there is a real fear that at least half of all restaurants will not reopen.
On top of that, there are a host of bills related to small businesses making their way through the City Council. Some are good but many would have a detrimental impact on the long term viability of mom and pop shops in New York City. Though well-intended, these bills would place a massive administrative and financial burden on small and midsized businesses that can not afford them in this climate.
Throughout the pandemic, the Five Borough Chamber Alliance has done fantastic work providing resources, advocacy, and support for small businesses in New York City. One of the resources that the Queen’s Chamber is providing to businesses and consumers alike is through their partnership with Operation Main Street. Operation Main Street is listing all of the restaurants that are open for takeout and delivery. It is free for business owners to list their business in the Operation Main Street Directory.
Operation Main Street’s mission statement is: “to help small businesses all over the US sell more gift cards, providing additional cash flow to get them through the crisis. Our hope is that this will save many small businesses and the jobs they create.
The project is made possible by gift card technology and services provided by eGifter of New York. The eGifter Platform™ has historically served large national and regional retailers, however, we leveraged our technology to support small businesses in this unprecedented time.”
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