Do you really want to help local restaurants?

Superior residents want their restaurants to survive.  At the start of the pandemic, the Chamber promoted its “Operation Carry Out,” an effort to get people in the habit of ordering food from struggling local restaurants, and the response was tremendous. Today, less than a year later, ordering carry-out from local restaurants has become routine for many families. Last quarter, the Town of Superior sent out “Superior Cash” to residents to encourage local shopping. About 85% of the total redeemed went to four restaurants in town.

Although we’ve lost a couple of local places (Subway, Pizza Hut, Devickio’s), new ones are filling the spaces (Boss Lady Pizza and Tequila & Mezchal, both opening soon). But, don’t let this fool you. Keeping a locally-owned restaurant afloat is enormously stressful. Each positive step on the State’s COVID dial means the ability to host more inside diners, but many customers are not yet ready to return.  Many owners are struggling with appropriate food orders and hiring staff to deal with the moving target of diner comfort.

If you are supporting local restaurants in any way, thank you.  If you are committed to making as many of your dollars stay local as possible, read on.

During the pandemic, the use of third-party platforms (UberEats, Door Dash, GrubHub, Postmates, etc.) has skyrocketed.  With a few clicks on a website, we feel better about supporting that local restaurant with an order. Most restaurants don’t do the volume of business to be able to afford their own delivery staff, so many have felt no choice but to sign on with third-party delivery services that charge up to 30% commissions. On some orders, restaurants make almost nothing at all.

Many municipalities – including Superior – have wrestled with the viability of limiting third-party platform delivery services charges, but enforcement is difficult because restaurants voluntarily enter into private business relationships with third-party delivery companies.

One thing is for certain. Restaurant people are resilient. Where a problem exists, they will devise a solution.

On Monday, February 22, at 3:00 pm, the chambers in Superior, Louisville, and Lafayette will co-sponsor an informational session for local restaurants in East Boulder County with officials from Nosh, a third-party delivery service based in Iowa City that uses a co-op model.  Restaurants can buy into a locally-owned operation that caps commissions at 15% (plus a delivery fee).  Nosh was recently endorsed by the City of Boulder which invested relief funds to bolster the new service. Nosh also serves communities in Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland.

Shawn Camden, the owner of Sancho’s Mexican Restaurant, is coordinating the local effort.  Camden will be joined by Nosh founder Gleidson Gouveia to gauge interest in starting a Nosh service in East Boulder County. They will give restaurant owners more information on how to be part of the effort if indeed it launches here. (We will keep the community posted if it happens.)

While Nosh might eventually offer a more sustainable local delivery option to national platforms, Superior residents can help local restaurants the most RIGHT NOW by simply picking up their carry-out orders. Most will bring your order directly to your car in a touch-free manner. Taking the extra few minutes to call your favorite restaurant, place an order, and get in your car to pick up will make a huge difference.

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Local restaurant owners can join in the Nosh informational session on 2/22/2021 by registering HERE.  Restaurants do not need to be a member of one of the participating chambers to take part in the session.