While Florida restaurants have arguably fared better than restaurants in a lot of the country during the pandemic, it has still been a brutal year. Nearly 600,000 Florida restaurant employees were furloughed or laid off and more than 10,000 Florida restaurants have closed, according to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA).
To help those surviving, FRLA has released a video encouraging Floridians to show their community support for Florida restaurants with their pocketbooks and business.
“No industry has been hit harder by COVID-19 than the hospitality industry,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Florida is open for business, and our restaurants and hotels are eager to safely welcome guests and create those memorable experiences. Restaurants are the centers of our communities, and we hope you will dine in or take out to support your local restaurants, enabling them to stay open and keep their team members employed.”
The video calls Florida restaurants, “the heartbeat of our community,” and pushes for Floridians to “treat yourself … while supporting local restaurants.”
The video shows imagery of masked and gloved restaurant workers serving guest, preparing food, and cleaning while the narrator assures viewers Florida restaurants are “going above and beyond to operate safely” and keep those in the community fed and employed.
As part of the initiative to assure customers of restaurants commitment to the highest standards of safety and sanitation, FRLA launched its Seal of Commitment (SOC) program in the summer of 2020. According to FRLA, the SOC is a demonstration to guests and associates that the operators earning the seal prioritize health and safety.
