GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County Board of Commissioners has issued the “Kent County Takeout Challenge,” urging residents to support locally-owned restaurants hit hard by the pandemic.
The digital campaign encourages people to order takeout and publicly challenge three friends to do the same by tagging them on social media, a news release said.
Board Chair Mandy Bolter kicked off the campaign Wednesday with a video shot outside Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, where she nominated fellow commission members and residents to take up the challenge.
“This campaign supports local businesses, workers and families,” Bolter said. “Local restaurants are part of the fabric of communities all across Kent County, and thousands of our neighbors rely on them for their livelihoods. But they have been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. We want our local restaurants and their employees to emerge strong when this crisis is over.”
Restaurants, which were operating at 50 percent capacity since the spring 2020 ban on indoor dining was lifted, were again forced to move to takeout and delivery only last month.
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The new restrictions are set to expire Tuesday unless the state extends them.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said that decision hasn’t been made yet, but that the decision would come down to ensuring hospitals do not get overrun with COVID-19 patients.
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Some local businesses worry these restrictions could force them to close down permanently.