NORTHAMPTON — Andrew Brow refers to the period between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day as the “dark days” of the restaurant season — a time when people spend less money eating out.
But that was before the pandemic hit, casting a heavy cloud over his business that’s stretched on for an entire year, says the chef and owner of HighBrow Wood Fired Kitchen + Bar in Northampton.
“We’re getting by,” Brow said. “The doors will not lock.” But the business isn’t “printing money, either.”
Out in Florence, Miss Florence Diner owner Georgie Brunton said business is down quite a bit because of the pandemic, but that the restaurant is “hanging in there,” and holding out hope that as more people get vaccinated the business can get back to 2019 numbers.
Brow and Brunton are not alone. Dozens of restaurants — those that have survived a pandemic that marked its one-year anniversary this week — are hanging on by a thread.
Locally, two recently launched campaigns — 413 Takeout and Save Our Restaurants — are aimed at providing a lifeline by encouraging people to order takeout from restaurants.
The 413 Takeout Campaign involves people pledging to order takeout from a Northampton or Florence restaurant at least once a week for three months, and to ask four other people to do the same.
It launched on Valentine’s Day and is being organized by Downtown Northampton Association (DNA) and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. The Daily Hampshire Gazette is also involved in promoting the effort, which is running into May.
“This is really about a community helping another community,” said Bob Fazzi, who serves on the campaign’s committee.
Fazzi said the idea for the name came from DNA Executive Director Amy Cahillane.
As of Wednesday morning, Cahillane said, 413 Takeout had received 198 pledges.
“They’ve been very grateful,” Cahillane said of the reaction to the campaign in the restaurant community.
She also said an increase in takeout orders has been reported by some places, although this is not necessarily tied to the campaign.
“We’re delighted about it regardless of the underlying reason,” Cahillane said.
Six Northampton restaurants have closed over the course of the pandemic, Cahillane said, including Webster’s Fish Hook and the Green Bean. Other restaurants are not open, their status unclear.
“Everyone knows restaurants are hurting,” Fazzi said, noting that eateries are a big part of Northampton’s identity.
“Our brand is really restaurants, music and art,” he said.
Leslie Laurie agrees.
“It’s one of the key draws for many in Northampton,” said Laurie, who chairs the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee and helped organize the campaign.
Nick Grimaldi is an Economic Development Committee member who has taken the takeout pledge. He said he did so because he enjoys going out to restaurants and wants them to survive the pandemic, and also because of the importance of restaurants to the city.
“It’s really obvious how important restaurants are to the economy and the overall vitality of the city,” he said.
Sarah Buttenwieser, another pledger, said it took awhile for her and her family to order takeout because of the isolation they’ve maintained during the pandemic and their concerns about safety. As such, one of the reasons she pledged is to remind people that they can do so.
“It felt important to have a nudge,” she said.
She also said ordering her iced tea at Woodstar Cafe provides a “big lift in my day.”
Another element of the campaign involves $10 being donated to Feed the Frontlines by an anonymous donor for every 413 pledge, up to 500 pledges. The money will provide takeout meals to those who receive food distributions from Grow Food Northampton and the Survival Center.
The Save Our Restaurants campaign, meanwhile, features advertising that encourages people to get takeout from restaurants in Franklin and Hampshire counties. It also encourages people to tip their servers.
“We’re encouraging people to tip as generously as they can as well,” said John Howland, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank, which is sponsoring the campaign.
The effort involves advertising in the Gazette and Greenfield Recorder, both in print and online, that encourages people to frequent any of the more than 200 restaurants featured.
Brow, of HighBrow, and Brunton, of Miss Florence Diner, both expressed appreciation for the campaigns.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Brow, noting that he’s seen an uptick in takeout orders in the last few weeks, although he said he doesn’t know if that’s because of the campaigns.
Like Brow, Brunton said her restaurant has seen an increase in takeout orders, although she also said she hasn’t seen evidence that relates the increase to the 413 campaign. But “any help that we can get is amazing,” Brunton said.
Paul Sustick, one of the owners of Paul and Elizabeth’s, is a member of the Economic Development Committee and helped craft the program. He said that it’s nice to see people rally around restaurants. He’s heard that “it’s been a little busier the last two or three weeks” at his business and at others.
Nathan Sustick, another owner of Paul and Elizabeth’s, said they’ve seen more to-go orders since the campaign launched, and it may have contributed to this. For the entirety of the pandemic, Paul and Elizabeth’s has been exclusively a to-go operation.
“It’s not been an easy year,” he said. “We’ve really relied a lot on the local economy to support us.”
Jeremy Werther, chef and owner at Homestead, said his restaurant was closed for December and January, opening on Valentine’s Day weekend. As such, he said, it’s hard to measure a link between efforts to spur takeout orders and his to-go business, but expressed positive feelings about the 413 Campaign, saying even if just seeing it helps prompt people to order, it will be helpful.
“I think the campaign is great,” he said. “We definitely appreciate the community support.”
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.