A lot of business owners have the understandable mentality that they need to fly solo to best succeed. They take “competition” a little too literally when really local businesses need to work together. Getting involved in the community, both with consumers on a personal level as well as with other businesses in the hospitality industry fosters better relationships, draws in new guests, and strengthens your overall brand recognition. Community engagement opens you up to a whol

Contributing to worthwhile causes goes hand in hand with running a genuinely good business, meaning one that actively benefits the local and global community and every person involved in their organization, client and employee alike. Every company, big and small, can benefit from encouraging their staff to give their time and energy to nonprofits and donate to charities themselves. For any small business looking to establish volunteer opportunities for workers, first, remembe

Businesses function best when they cultivate positive relationships with customers. It’s why everyone who’s worked in or around the service industry knows the phrase: “The customer is always right.” Businesses rely on positive relationships because that’s what convinces people to keep coming back, despite the myriad of other options available to them; customers go where they feel valued, both personally and by virtue of getting the experience desired. For this reason, small b

As peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd and against police brutality flourish around the country, many people want to find additional ways to support people of color in their communities. Some protest, others donate, many share information and petitions, but people are also furthering community goals by supporting black-owned businesses in their area. Black-owned companies are some of the ones hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic which has ravaged the U.S. for mon

Since George Floyd died in police custody on March 25th, peaceful protests have broken out in every state across the country. As a result, at least forty cities including Washington D.C., Los Angeles and New York imposed daily curfews in an attempt to curb multiple protests in those areas. The unintended consequence is that restaurants and other businesses in those cities no longer know how and when they can operate under these new mandates. In many states, restaurants only r

Since 1974, Seward Café has served homestyle and vegan dishes to residents across Minneapolis, MN. This worker-owned café is governed by employees who share a passion for the business and dedication to their community. When COVID-19 led the city to shut down nonessential businesses, Seward Café shuttered their doors completely, ending all of their services temporarily. They haven’t fully operated since March 15th and despite experimenting with delivery in April, they eventual

In 2006, chef Eric Skokan and his wife Jill opened Black Cat in Boulder, CO. They fully integrated the restaurant with their 425-acre farm so that they can serve certified organic food and use a lot of what they grow in the restaurant including wheat, bread and animal products from hogs and sheep. They’ve become central to their community in the approximately fourteen years that they’ve served them. However, when COVID-19 struck America hard last March, Black Cat experienced

All across the United Sates, peaceful demonstrators have gathered every day weeks in support of Black Lives Matter. Protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25th, but in the weeks following this event, the movement has snowballed to address much larger issues of systemic racism and white supremacy. While individuals send donations, attend protests and raise awareness for various causes associated with BLM, businesses big and small are lookin

In a 2015 study, the National Center for Transgender Equality reported a disproportionately high rate of poverty, homelessness, unemployment and assault among black transgender Americans comparative to any other demographic. The U.S. Transgender Survey found: 42% of black trans people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. 20% were unemployed; that’s twice as likely as black Americans in general and compared to 16% of trans people overall (Bellis, 2017).

In May, Texas became one of the first states to let their stay-at-home orders expire so nonessential businesses like restaurants could resume in-person transactions. For months, food service establishments have gone without dine-in operations and stayed afloat only through takeout and delivery services, if they remained open at all. Now, after a month and a half of businesses opening one by one and the general public readjusting to how life was before the COVID-19 pandemic hi

Two years ago, Luis Castro founded Del Cielo Brewing and it has since become an important member of the craft beer community in Martinez, CA. Before the COVID-19 virus hit the U.S., the brewery had two main revenue channels: selling craft beer in their taproom and delivering to people and businesses all over the Bay Area. During normal operations, 40% of Del Cielo’s online orders were for canned craft beer and the rest were for kegs. Now the ratio is closer to 90% cans and on