Agency folk are continuing to fight back at mass COVID-19 disruption with answers to a whole host of new business problems the world didn’t think it would be facing this year.
"Dining at a Distance" is the latest tool for eateries and farmers who have been hit hard by the crisis.
The passion project, created by Huge Chicago Senior Product Manager Sean Lynch and owner of PR agency Grapevine Jenn Galdes, is an aggregator for restaurants and their local supplies in cities all around America.
Lynch said: "My family loves supporting the local Chicago food scene, so when we heard the news about closures in Chicago, we wanted to do whatever we could to keep our friends informed of where they can eat, while also giving visibility to these businesses who are committed to supporting their local community.
"At Huge, we are all about using digital products to elevate the human experience, so I channeled that mantra and utilized what I love doing -- building digital products -- to create this website."
The duo, which met over Twitter, launched the website in two to three hours as a rapid response to the government shutdown on Sunday March 15. It began with more than 100 local Chicago restaurants and has since expanded into countless cities. They’re also talking with partners in Europe and Australia who started similar initiatives about potentially cross-posting.
Restaurants and farms are encouraged to submit a request to curate and launch their city’s website on the Dining at a Distance homepage.