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City rolls out new #SupportSeattleSmallBiz map with 60+ ‘restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries’ around Capitol Hill

It’s the thought that counts. Just as some are finding the health and economic issues around staying open aren’t worth it, City Hall is rolling out a new service to promote Seattle’s food and drink economy including more than restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries still providing takeout and delivery around Capitol Hill:

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the City of Seattle’s new #SupportSeattleSmallBiz map, which helps residents find small businesses providing takeout or delivery in their neighborhood. The map allows users to search for open small businesses in their neighborhood and navigate directly to a business’ website or third-party delivery service page. The map is part of the City’s #SupportSeattleSmallBiz campaign, which asks residents to post pictures and videos from their favorite Seattle restaurants, bars, and cafes that are doing delivery, to-go, and drive-through with #SupportSeattleSmallBiz and #WeGotThisSeattle, and tag @SeattleEconomy.

“City staff are working to add these locations to the map as quickly as possible,” the press release from Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office reads.

“At the City, we’re doing everything we can locally to support our small businesses during this unprecedented moment in history,” Durkan says in the announcement. “We’ve identified millions of dollars to invest directly in our most vulnerable small businesses and are working with our partners across government and in the private sector help many who are struggling. With many of our neighborhood restaurants still open, we can support our small businesses by ordering pickup or delivery during this time. I’m grateful to our community partners who helped shape our map and make it a reality.”

The map joins a package of initiatives at Seattle City Hall to help small businesses weather the COVID-19 response including deferred utility payments, a temporary moratorium on evictions, temporary restaurant loading zones to facilitate curbside pickup at restaurants, and a small business relief package that included deferred business taxes and a $1 million stabilization fund.

Help is coming at the federal level. The $2 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation passed last week includes $349 billion in small business loans with money spent on rent, payroll and utilities becoming grants that don’t need to be paid back.

The map is helpful — we’ve added it to our CHS To Go listings page here.

But it echoes many existing media efforts and gives businesses yet another information source they need to keep apprised of any changes.

And changes are coming fast. Though Washington’s latest rounds of restrictions have included providers of food and drink as “essential businesses,” some are choosing to temporarily close to help do their part to encourage social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Capitol Hill’s Optimism Brewing opted to shut down its beer takeout business and temporarily close last week so workers could do their part to help contain the virus.

Others are recognizing the takeout business rewards don’t outweigh the risks. The Seattle Met reports that local chains including Molly Moon’s, Evergreens, Frankie and Jo’s, and Marination are the first in a wave of businesses pulling back so their workers and customers stay home.

But many others are digging in and trying something new. Some aren’t on the city’s new map, yet, like Cook | Weaver on E Roy at Broadway. The “inauthentic Eurasian” joint in the Loveless Building has simplified, somewhat, with its to-go menu. At Cook | Weaver, that still means two different kinds of burgers — Kasu cauliflower and pork. Capitol Hill restaurants and bars are also stepping up with new liquor offerings now that the state has blessed the sale of sealed bottles. Cure, for example, is selling an Old Fashioned kit complete with a full bottle of bourbon. CHS has also seen margaritas and mimosas to go on the Hill. You won’t find those listings on the city’s map, yet, either.

Meanwhile, untold small businesses and independent service providers — food and drink establishments, yes, but also salons and stylists, specialty health providers, shops and boutiques, and more — will never reopen.

 

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19 Comments
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Jamie
Jamie
3 years ago

This is stupid.

Close these restaurants. Take out and delivery is putting people at risk both the workers and the people picking up. It’s very selfish to order takeout.

Buy tons of groceries. Stop being a baby, and cook at home. Seriously. Small businesses can wait. They can get government to bail them out. Not our problem. Not worth killing people.

Luc
Luc
3 years ago
Reply to  Jamie

Take your own advice–stop being a baby, baby.

Jamie
Jamie
3 years ago
Reply to  Luc

Maybe you need close family members to die before you start taking this seriously?

Stay at home and learn to cook. Be an adult. Everyone shouldn’t rely on their baby habits of ordering takeout so much.

Melanie
Melanie
3 years ago
Reply to  Jamie

That makes sense, a restaurant is inefficient since every meal is one trip, compared to groceries which is many meals per trip.

Glenn
Glenn
3 years ago
Reply to  Jamie

We are the government. And it certainly is our problem.

GG Palin
GG Palin
3 years ago
Reply to  Glenn

Lives over capital. Businesses can wait. Cooking at home is literally one of the most helpful things that any individual can do to help prevent unnecessary spread. The federal government always looks out for corporations first, small businesses next, and consumers LAST. Stop consuming outside of necessity, and we good y’all!

RWK
RWK
3 years ago
Reply to  Jamie

@Jamie…..your advice makes no sense, because it is also somewhat risky to shop at a grocery store, especially since employees there are not wearing masks and gloves. And, while most people are conscientious and staying home if they are sick, there will always be some selfish people who are sick and still shop at grocery stores.

GG Palin
GG Palin
3 years ago
Reply to  RWK

Yeah, no shit, Bob. There will always be selfish people. The problem is the relative number of trips…one meal per trip, vs MANY MEALS per trip. This isn’t quantum physics dude. Public health officials all over the world suggest making as few trips outside as possible, with as few interactions with people as possible.

Eating out is a luxury, and can/should be curbed.

Jamie
Jamie
3 years ago
Reply to  RWK

Wow you are dense.

The point is limiting exposure as much as possible. Yes do one big grocery supply run and then stay the hell at home. That simple enough? Got it?

Jamie
Jamie
3 years ago

Not only that but delivery men taking food to restaurants to cook. Cooks coming into work. People driving and possibly spreading disease from workplace to home or vice versa. It’s stupid. Step up Seattle and close these restaurants! NYC is literally loading bodies into 18 wheelers and dumping them in burn yards. WAKE UP

COOK AT HOME

Luc
Luc
3 years ago
Reply to  Jamie

Literally?

StayStrongSeattle
StayStrongSeattle
3 years ago

Since restaurants are staying open perhaps they can create some standards to limit contagion at the transaction points. I see the same person taking money is usually the person handing over the food. Ordering can also be done over the phone instead of having folks standing around ordering and waiting. Some of these restaurants don’t have menus on their websites so maybe providing funds to get some basic function on their websites like listing menus and hours and even taking payment. And if there is any way to have workers wear masks, even if they are homemade masks that have been shown to work. I know some of the nicer places are doing this. Here is a study https://bit.ly/3ay3zq8 The fact is that you can’t close restaurants because how are essential workers going to eat? You want to place the burden on them of coming home dead tired and having to think about their next meal? The mayor needs to put a coalition together of small and big restauranteurs, medical folks, and city leaders and come up with a science-informed solution. Letting them go it alone is only going result in creating greater risk for the public and the restaurants.

GG Palin
GG Palin
3 years ago

Or, alternatively you could stir fry at home and wait until it’s more advisable to go to food establishments.

Same amount of time spent–one takes more labor, one takes more capital. I say, cook at home if you are able!

I can’t eat Chinese take-out anymore cause my homemade Garlic Ginger Tofu recipe has become just TOO DAMN GOOD

Eric
Eric
3 years ago
Reply to  GG Palin

All of the restaurants that I have had take-out from take both orders and payment online, so no physical cash changes hand. And pick-up is quick with minimal interaction.

Gordon
Gordon
3 years ago

Could everyone in this comment section stop trying to play public health expert and let the professionals set the rules?

Currently you can still go for a walk or bike ride, and you can still get takeout. If officials think that needs to restricted, they will let us know because that’s what the science leads them to conclude.

Everything seems to indicate we are in this for the longhaul — so let’s be kind with each other and let the experts decide what can be safely allowed.

Konvene Coffee
3 years ago

Konvene Coffee is open for takeout still
In lower Queen Anne.

RWK
RWK
3 years ago

Restaurant owners who have decided to offer takeout/delivery are not being greedy. They are supporting their employees and trying to SURVIVE!

GG Palin
GG Palin
3 years ago
Reply to  RWK

It’s much safer AND much cheaper not to eat out right now. If the employees at these establishments had enough money to pay rent and not work, you can bet your ass they’d be home right now, instead of serving the people who are too lazy to cook.