Join the ‘Eat Local’ campaign to end 2020

Nobody saw 2020 coming. It’s been the craziest year in my lifetime. The sad part is it’s not over yet. There’s still two months of unknown out there. One of my big fears is the upcoming flu season and the possibility of the pandemic getting worse which could spell doom for many restaurants who may not be able to survive a second hit.

I kept thinking what can I do to play a part in supporting our Wichita dining scene? I have this blog, I have a computer and I have a voice to potentially influence others to help.

For the next 9 weeks, I’m going to do a big push on my blog and my various social media channels to Support Locally Owned Restaurants and potentially even businesses.

I’ve been gathering content to push out to the reader base. From now until the end of the year you can expect:

• Stories told from the restaurant and food truck owners themselves. It’ll be a chance to Get To Know these businesses and the people behind it even more. The Get To Know segment will be returning and I have had many restaurants get in touch with me to tell their story and get free additional exposure on their eatery.
• The Neighborhood food panel will be sharing some of their favorite places to eat.
• Giveaways from some local restaurants who have donated gift cards.
• I’ll even be spending my own money on buying meals and gift cards for random readers who show support for our local restaurants.
• More guides and features that shine light on a multitude of various restaurants who otherwise rarely get mention from other media outlets.

What can you do to help in the meantime:

• Keep following along here as well as my various social media pages like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• Head to Google, Facebook and Yelp to write a positive review on your favorite restaurants.
• Buy gift cards from your favorite locally owned restaurants and businesses as gifts. I know many holiday parties are coming up. Need gifts of giveaways for those parties? Gift cards and gift certificates from your favorite local places are a great idea.
• Dine In. Carry Out. Curbside Pickup. Delivery. Find local places and support them. Use the Wichita By E.B. Food & Booze Directory to locate these places. There’s a filter called Exclusive. This filter will sort out every place that can only be found in just the Wichita area.
• I don’t expect everybody to eat local 24/7 as I don’t either. I would never ask you to do something I wouldn’t do. But if you have it in you, choose local a little more than usual. And keep in mind, sometimes when you’re eating at a place it may be locally owned even though the business isn’t locally headquartered.
• Post pictures of your dining experiences online. Share your experiences and utilize ‘Word of Mouth’ help these places out. Tag those pictures with #WichitaByEB. I’d love to see where you all are dining at.
• Follow your favorite restaurants social media channels. If you don’t have the funds right now to eat out, something as simple as giving your favorite place a like or follow (and giving them a great review) can still help.