A message from the IRC:
This was a major week in our fight to save independent restaurants. Together, we:
- Launched our first-ever national television ad produced by Intuitive Content and Andrew Zimmern, supported by DoorDash, and narrated by Morgan Freeman, generating 160K+ views on the IRC’s social channels alone since Monday. You can download the ad here and share it if you haven’t already.
- Added 20 new cosponsors to the RESTAURANTS Act for a combined total of 188 in the House and Senate — which means more than one-third of Congress now supports this critical legislation.
- Sent more than 90,000 emails to Congress in collaboration with DoorDash, urging more lawmakers to sign on to the RESTAURANTS Act.
- Activated more than 10,000 new supporters to join our movement and take action to help #SaveRestaurants. And it’s not going unnoticed: from Denver to Kentucky to Hawaii, the RESTAURANTS Act is gaining national attention.
There’s no question that our tireless efforts are moving the needle. But independent restaurants across the country are still closing for good every single day that Congress fails to act.
The July national unemployment report, released this morning, emphasizes that more relief is needed for independent restaurants. More than 2.6 million food and beverage workers — our neighbors, friends, and family — have lost their jobs since this pandemic began, representing more losses than any other industry.
The RESTAURANTS Act is the lifeline independent restaurants desperately need. And while our momentum is strong, Congress has yet to include it in drafts of the next round of COVID-19 relief. But negotiations are ongoing and our legislation remains in the game. In fact, the White House has indicated that they support it.
We won’t rest until our industry gets the federal relief we need to survive this crisis — and our lawmakers shouldn’t either. With Congress about to begin their August recess, it’s imperative that you email your reps reminding them that their work is not yet done by asking them to cosponsor the RESTAURANTS Act. If you’ve already done so, use our shareable resources to spread the word on social media with graphics, on your windows with posters, or in your takeout orders with our flyers.
There’s still much to do. We hope you’ll keep fighting with us.
In solidarity,
The IRC Team
