Support The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund With Kitchen Cabinet Kings This June

With millions of people staying home, restaurant workers have been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. To help out, Kitchen Cabinet Kings will donate a portion of all sales to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund during the month of June.

What Is The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund?

The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund is a COVID-19 relief fund set up by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The Fund provides grants to restaurant and food service workers who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.

A recent update on the website says that over 60,000 workers have already applied to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund and over 25,000 grants have been awarded. The Fund is supported by sponsors like Guy Fieri, the Food Network, Uber Eats, Sapporo, and Netflix.

Why Is It Important?

Our country has seen historic levels of unemployment following the coronavirus. Some people have been able to set up a home office and continue working during the pandemic. But that’s not the case for the millions of restaurant employees that are out of work. Technology enables remote work in many industries, but you can’t use a laptop to provide tableside service or mix patrons’ drinks in real life.

According to Restaurant Business Online, about one in four jobs lost during the first two months of the pandemic were in the restaurant industry. By the end of April 2020, the industry had lost 5.9 million. For comparison, it took the industry thirty years to grow that many jobs.

According to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Impact Survey, two out of three restaurant workers have lost their job or been furloughed. While there has been billions in federal aid, 61% of restaurant operators say it won’t be enough for them to avoid more layoffs.

Many restaurants operate on limited margins and have cash reserves that only last weeks or even days. Thousands won’t make it through the drought of customers caused by COVID-19 and will have to shut permanently. The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund can help current and former restaurant employees manage the financial fallout from the virus.

How To Donate

During the month of June, you can just shop normally at KCK. A portion of whatever you spend will go toward the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. You don’t have to do anything special to make sure the donation goes through.

If you want to donate more on your own, you can go to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund’s donation page. Know that 100 percent of donations to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund go directly to grants for individuals.

Also, if you have the budget, consider working in more takeout and delivery orders into your routine. Many restaurants offer some type of service right now, and having local support could mean the difference between shutting forever or making it through.

UberEats also has an option for you to add an extra donation that goes directly to the restaurant making your food. Consider throwing a few extra bucks on the tab when using the app. While not every restaurant employee will still have a job when this is over, only the places that survive will be able to rehire staff.