"Let's become future customers!" We have started the #UnsolicitedSupport project. What we can do for restaurants right now.

<Updated April 5, 2020>
We have made the application form easier to understand! From now on, please let us know about the restaurants you would like to support here. We are also accepting applications from restaurant owners.
▼ Application form for those who want to support
https://forms.gle/RYYGy4uuGqYy3D7y7
▼ Application form for restaurants
https://forms.gle/cVQE5HN6DUfAxbA26

See the list of restaurants you can #UnsolicitedSupport

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Hello, this is Masaya Yamamoto from KitchHike.
The various situations stemming from the coronavirus are having a major impact on the restaurant industry.

For the sake of those who create the food scene, including the partner restaurants that have registered as KitchHike venues, we launched a special project this week asking, "What can we do right now?" As our team worked together to consider this, we realized something on our own. That is,

Could it be that it is difficult for restaurants to speak up?

That was it. In this situation, I felt an atmosphere where it is somewhat difficult for restaurants to say things like, "Our customers are decreasing, so please come visit!"

There are many reasons why it is very difficult for restaurants to speak up right now.
・ "Isn't it irresponsible to send out a message saying 'Come eat here!'?"
・ "If by any chance that day becomes the trigger for an infection, I wouldn't be able to apologize enough."
・ "As a brand, we can't let it look like we aren't busy."
And so on. Even if that is not the case at all, there is an atmosphere where speaking out loud is somewhat discouraged. For restaurants, this is a situation where they have enough reason to just wait for things to improve.

KitchHike is a food community, a gathering of people who eat. In other words, we are representatives of the "people who eat." After thinking about what we can do with our platform right now, we reached the following conclusion.

What we can do is create "future customers."

In short, we will provide a mechanism that allows you to buy dining tickets for the restaurants you want to support. The trigger is the voices of the people who eat, the customers. And we named this the #UnsolicitedSupport project. The fact that there were actual voices on Facebook and Twitter asking for such a mechanism gave us a push.

Starting today, we will use the KitchHike platform to allow the people who eat, the customers, to take the lead and buy dining tickets for the restaurants they want to support. When you purchase a dining ticket, you can provide the payment to the restaurant first, regardless of whether you go or not. The purchased dining ticket fees will be transferred to the restaurants through KitchHike on the 5th and 20th of every month. This is a form of support that is like a promise:

"I can't go right now, but I will definitely go when things settle down!"

Starting today, the ↓ restaurant #UnsolicitedSupport begins. *As of 15:00 on Sunday, 3/1

There are many other things the eating side can do

KitchHike has one request.

If there is a restaurant you want to support, please let us know on Twitter at @KitchHike. Our project team will contact the restaurant and proceed so that tickets can be purchased. If it is difficult for the restaurant side to speak up, why don't we speak up from the customer side?

Of course, besides becoming a future customer, there are many things customers can do right now.

・ If you can go, go right now
・ Tweet that you want to go!
・ Write about the restaurant you want to support on note
・ Send a message of support to the restaurant

Basically, most restaurants are still operating as usual. Almost all restaurants hosting KitchHike events are also open. While it is a personal decision, I think those who can go now should go immediately.

The days where there is no sign of the coronavirus ending are frustrating, but it seems they will continue for a while. Even if signs of containment appear, the stagnation of economic activity and the trend of refraining from going out and dining out, which have already occurred as a secondary disaster, are expected to continue for some time.

Do whatever you can right now. In times like these, being a little meddlesome is just right. Even if it turns out to be unnecessary worry, that is perfectly fine.

Why not take this opportunity to express your gratitude to restaurants?

The restaurant owners I have met so far have all had faces of determination. Regardless of gender or age, they are all cool. They are carrying a heavy burden. They have families. They have colleagues. They don't complain easily. They don't grumble. Even if unforeseen circumstances arise, they stand their ground and face the situation at hand with patience.

Restaurant finances are truly difficult. If sales drop for even a few months, they may have to close their doors. For many restaurants, that possibility is becoming real. While large restaurants and chains might manage, the current situation is truly difficult for independently owned shops. I don't want to stir up anxiety, but if you don't go to your favorite shops now, there is a possibility that they might disappear.

Shops you have been visiting for years. Shops filled with memories. Shops you always go to for anniversaries. Shops you've wanted to visit but haven't yet. Everyone must have a shop that holds special meaning for them. They are always open on business days, they welcome you when you go, and they serve you delicious food. They let you drink delicious alcohol. Usually, it's so taken for granted that we rarely notice, but it is something to be very grateful for. They always provide those moments where life feels most vibrant: 'food and interaction.' I think this is a good opportunity to once again express our gratitude to the restaurants that always provide such experiences.

KitchHike is also a service that turns a customer's 'I'll go someday' into 'I'll go now' for restaurants. Even if your schedule doesn't match your friends', you can gather with users who share your taste in food and go eat together. However, in this situation, I thought it would be good to have customers who cannot 'go now' promise to 'go someday'.

So that our platform can be of even a little help. So that we can support restaurants even a little. So that those who create the food scene can have hope. Now is the time to give back to the restaurants and the food industry that have always taken care of us. From the customer's side, we want to support restaurants too. Starting with what we can do. From the side of those who eat.

See a list of restaurants you can #UnsolicitedSupport

See the latest status on our official Twitter

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<Reference links for restaurant operations and support regarding the coronavirus>