#SaveNYCEats announced today the launch of its digital hub to empower the community to help New York City’s restaurants and bars weather the COVID-19 crisis. The platform allows participating businesses to feature take-home chef kits, future unique dining experiences, gift cards, merchandise and other special offers.
After the successful launch of #SavePhillyEats, Philly founders Anthony Bucci and David Bookspan were looking to broaden their impact to New York, the largest restaurant hub in the U.S. David reached out to Rob Edell, whose restaurant tech startup, Servy, had received investment from David’s Dreamit Ventures back in 2015 before it was acquired by Resy in 2017. Edell jumped on board day one and partnered with long-time friends Stephanie Goldstein and Josh Klein to launch #SaveNYCEats.
Goldstein explained, “Restaurants, and the people behind them, are a quintessential part of the New York experience. Restaurants and bars are where we laugh with our friends, celebrate with our families, or just enjoy a brief pause from our everyday lives. Save NYC Eats is our way of giving back to the restaurants and employees who have tirelessly given so much to our community. I am incredibly excited for the day when we can once again break bread together in our favorite restaurants with friends.”
How does it work? Restaurants and bars opt in to #SaveNYCEats with special experiences, offers and incentives. Examples include the opportunity to buy an eight guest pasta-making class at Roberta’s, a virtual cooking class with Jonah Miller from Huertas, a date night sushi and izakaya dinner with Sake 2 from Juku, or discounted gift cards from City Cakes and The Musket Room.
Visitors to the website www.savenyceats.com view aggregated offers and each of the offers links directly through to the chosen restaurant’s website for fulfillment and payment. The restaurant keeps 100 percent of the revenue; there is no affiliate fee or any payment of any kind to #SaveNYCEats.
Participating chefs and restaurants include Marc Forgione, Huertas, Sauce, The Musket Room, Juku, 5 Napkin Burger, Scarpetta, Kissaki, Blue Stripes, Caffe Panna, The Village Den, City Cakes, La Newyorkina, Melt Shop, Joe Coffee, Casa Publica, Ed’s Lobster Bar, Roberta’s, Golden Diner, Il Laboratorio del Gelato, Lighthouse Brooklyn, Randolph Beer, and more.
Edell explains, “Most people associate restaurants with wealth, but the vast majority of restaurants—including fine dining—operate on razor thin margins and do not have more than a few weeks of runway in the bank. We launched Save NYC Eats to help small and medium business owners survive during these unprecedented times. 100 percent of proceeds go to the restaurants, all of the Save NYC Eats team are volunteers.”
Daniel Ortiz de Montellano, of New York’s La Newyorkina and Casa Publica said, “La Newyorkina is a family business whose mission has always been ‘sharing the sweetness of Mexico.’ Due to the current pandemic we entered survival mode, and thanks to partners like #SaveNYCEats we can reach a bigger audience and get commission-free sales to support our team.”
He added, “recent events have made us pivot and add a savory component with our “Comidas Caseras El Newyorkino” [Mexican homey meals] preordered and delivered to your doorstep. The way we see it, is that it’s only right that in these crazy times and our 10th anniversary, it’s time to reinvent oneself.”
Offers will be updated frequently as more restaurants and bars sign up. Consumers are encouraged to check the website and social media handles often for new and exciting offers. Restaurant and bar owners who would like to participate can visit the website as well.
