Securing $28B for Independent Restaurants.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Precision helped a group of restaurant owners and employees stand up the Independent Restaurant Coalition and run a grassroots public affairs campaign to fight for their survival.

Situation

In March of 2020, COVID-19 put 85% of neighborhood restaurants and bars at risk of permanent closure. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) passed in April 2020 did not help restaurants. To save them, Precision helped form the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) to give independent restaurants and the people they employ a voice in Washington.

Approach

We developed a national campaign, #SaveRestaurants, and executed an integrated media, digital, and influencer strategy to build and mobilize a diverse network of supporters, including well known chefs like Tom Colicchio, José Andrés, and Andrew Zimmern, as well as regionally known chefs in strategically important states. We kept the restaurant crisis in the national and regional news on a daily basis; created an online hub for information and actionable resources which supporters could use to get lawmakers’ attention; formed partnerships with companies like American Express, DoorDash, and OpenTable to reach more customers; and directed supporters to sign up for an email newsletter, growing the subscriber list organically from zero to 80,000 in just six months.

Result

Our coordinated efforts quickly generated over 100,000 emails to lawmakers.By October, the RESTAURANTS Act was passed by the House, and in early 2021 it earned the support of 90 senators, who added it as an amendment to President Biden’s first COVID-19 package. On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law, which included a $28.6B grant program modeled after the RESTAURANTS Act — the first-ever program of its kind that will help local restaurants, bars, and employees make it through the crisis.

 

Our Work

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