This national organization is focused on delivering resources to qualified hospitality companies and employees in times of need. All donations will support the nonprofit's grant program. Tax-deductible donations can be made through here.

Offers an easy way to find and contact your U.S. representatives to urge them to help small businesses. They also provide a place for small businesses to submit their story, with the goal to explain why lawmakers need to save small businesses. Click here for their website.

A fund that gathers support from corporate, foundation, and individual donors to provide micro-grants to independent food and beverage businesses in need. To donate, please click here.

Restaurants across the country have turned into relief centers for any restaurant worker who has been laid off or has had a significant reduction in hours and/or pay. All donations from your city will go to fund the participating restaurant in your city to help feed more people in need. To donate, please click here.

This organization is raising emergency cash assistance funds to support restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers, and more who need the money they aren't getting to survive. Please click here to donate.

100% of the fund's proceeds will be applied to providing grants to restaurant workers demonstrating financial impact from COVID-19. Click here to make a tax deductible donation.

Southern Smoke is a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry. To everyone with the ability to donate, please support the people who have always supported you. Please click here to donate.

Support Staff and Pilot Light have formed an alliance to create the Comp Tab Relief Fund. All funds will be used to benefit out-of-work hospitality workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To donate, please click here.

The organization is raising funds for their COVID-19 Relief Campaign in order to help support beverage industry members through these uncertain times. Please click here to donate.

If you are financially secure and want to help someone whose livelihood has been impacted by this crisis, pick a hardship to fund (link here) and donate.

100% of the net proceeds will go directly towards financial relief for Chicago-area employees affected by the pandemic. Shop here.

The CHC was created to be a resource for Chicago business owners and industry workers alike, a place where we can share our ideas, build consensus, call for help, support one another, and eventually forge a path for our return. In partnership with Rowboat Creative and their Creatives Who Care initiative, they are selling t-shirts to help raise immediate funds for the CHC. 100% of the proceeds will be directed to the Chicago Hospitality Coalition. To purchase a t-shirt, shop here.

View a list of restaurants that are still open for take-out, curbside pick-up, or delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to find a restaurant!

Order food, cocktails, wine and beer for delivery or takeout and keep your local favorites in business! To view the map of Chicago restaurants open for takeout and/or delivery, click here.

Comp Tab Relief Fund, created by and for hospitality professionals, is a collective and equitable source of financial aid and resources for those in the Chicago Metropolitan Area affected by the statewide closures. Funds will be disbursed on a need basis. Fill out this application form or to apply in Spanish, click here. For more resources, visit their website here.

Cook County has launched a comprehensive initiative to provide economic relief to small businesses, non-profits, community service organizations and independent contractors (1099 workers) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Recovery Fund offers one-time, zero-interest loans of up to $20,000 for small businesses and $10,000 for independent contractors in suburban Cook County. To learn more and sign up for updates when the application opens, please visit here.

This organization is raising emergency cash assistance funds to support restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers, and more who need the money they aren't getting to survive. To get help, please fill out this form and one of their organizers will contact you to follow up.

A nonprofit organization dedicated to granting support to food and beverage service employees with children, who have been medically diagnosed with COVID-19 or have someone living within their home who have been diagnosed. Documentation is required if you are diagnosed with COVID-19. To apply, click here.

If you or someone you know is a part of the beverage industry and is in need of financial assistance, please apply for an aid grant here.

This national organization is launching a multimillion-dollar fundraising initiative to help qualified hospitality companies and employees impacted by the COVID-19 business closures. Please complete this form to apply for a grant. (Update: Temporarily on hold for new applicants.)

This program provides emergency funding to those employed by or own restaurants or bars or are employed by a restaurant or bar supplier facing unforeseen expenses that will not be covered by insurance. Fill out this application form or to apply in Spanish, click here. 

If you are in the Chicago area, fill this form out to ask others for assistance during this crisis. View the response list here.

A way for workers to find unemployment insurance benefit resources and related information for those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic specific to their state. Click here to visit their site.

Cook County has launched a comprehensive initiative to provide economic relief to small businesses, non-profits, community service organizations and independent contractors (1099 workers) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Recovery Fund offers one-time, zero-interest loans of up to $20,000 for small businesses and $10,000 for independent contractors in suburban Cook County. To learn more and sign up for updates when the application opens, please visit here.

The DCEO and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) are establishing the Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund to offer small businesses low interest loans of up to $50,000. More information is available here. (Update: The DCEO is temporarily suspending new applications from businesses due to the large number of submitted applications received.)

This is an impact investment loan program under which the State Treasurer has made up to $500 million in deposits available to financial institutions throughout the state, at near-zero rates, to assist Illinois small businesses and non-profits negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for more information.

A fund that gathers support from corporate, foundation, and individual donors to provide micro-grants to independent food and beverage businesses in need. Fill out this form with your contact information if you are interested in learning more about the process and criteria of this newly developed fund. Once it is up and running, they will send application materials.

This national organization is launching a multimillion-dollar fundraising initiative to help qualified hospitality companies and employees impacted by the COVID-19 business closures. Please complete this form to apply for a grant. (Update: Temporarily on hold for new applicants.)

This program provides emergency funding to those employed by or own restaurants or bars or are employed by a restaurant or bar supplier facing unforeseen expenses that will not be covered by insurance. Fill out this application form or to apply in Spanish, click here. 

The Employee Retention Credit under the CARES Act encourages businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19. Click here for more information.

Thanks to a $7.5 million investment from Verizon, this organization is offering grants to help small businesses fill urgent financial gaps until they can resume normal operations or until other more permanent financing becomes available. For more information, visit here and fill out this form to receive email updates on the program.

Facebook is giving away $100 million to up to 30,000 eligible businesses across 30 countries. To check eligibility and apply for a grant, click here.

The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group is hosting free, daily food drives meant to help restaurant workers who were laid off or had a significant reduction in hours and/or pay. Anyone in need of a meal can visit Roots Pizza (South Loop) at 744 S. Dearborn everyday through June 10 from 4-6:30pm. After June 10, they will do their charity food drops to feed those in need in under-served Chicago neighborhoods. Click here for more info.

This charitable organization works to turn wasted foods into healthy meals for hungry people in need. For more information, including meal distribution sites and times, please click here.

In partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the University of Chicago is distributing meals to various locations within the University's nine-community footprint on the South Side (Douglas, Grand Boulevard, Greater Grand Crossing, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, South Shore, Washington Park, and Woodlawn). Meals will be provided daily through June 12. Please visit here for more information and to find a complete list of meal distribution sites.

For more information on where to find or donate food during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit their website here. 

Connect to a live clinician or peer for referrals, guidance, and expertise. 

Telephone: 833-626-4244 or visit their website here.

If media reports, closures and social distancing related to COVID-19 are causing you to be anxious, stressed, lonely, etc., BSCO's trauma helpline is available Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Telephone: 833-TURN-123 or to stay informed, visit here. 

Mental health centers around Chicago are providing support for emotional, traumatic, or behavioral difficulties. Telephone: 312-747-1020 or for more information, click here.

Text "HOME" to 741741 from anywhere in the United States and a live, trained Crisis Counselor will respond and provide support. For more information, click here. 

The Illinois Department of Human Services Mental Health Division has launched a free-of-charge emotional support text line for Illinois residents experiencing stress related to COVID-19. Text "TALK" to 552020 or for service in Spanish, text "HABLAR" to 552020 to speak with a mental health professional.

Click here to search for free and reduced-cost mental health resources in your local community.

Mayor Lightfoot is partnering with Airbnb to provide rooms to victims of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit here for more information. Facilitated by the Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7/365.

Domestic Violence Hotline (Multilingual): 877-863-6338,          TTY: 877-863-6339

Rape Crisis Hotline: 888-293-2080

Chicago Alcoholics Anonymous: To find remote/online meetings, visit here.

Chicago Narcotics Anonymous: To find online meetings, visit here.

You provide a third home for many people. A message "penned" directly by you means more than you might think. Let people know what's happening with your bar/restaurant, the staff, and how they can help. This can be an email or social media post, just make it personal! Even if you aren't able to keep your doors open for carryout or delivery, don't go silent. Your competitors are fighting for your customer's attention, and the longer this goes on, the harder it will be to rebuild those relationships.  TappedIn can help build and send email blasts and post on your social media if you need help.

The trend was already moving in this direction, the shelter-in-place order just accelerated it. Even after the order is lifted, people will either not feel safe to go out as often and their habits will have likely have changed. Online ordering and delivery are here to stay - you just have to figure out how to do this in the most profitable way (HINT: some platforms charge a lot more than others!). Contact us for free consultations to optimize your delivery and carryout game: info@gettappedin.io. If you are staying open for carryout and delivery, here are a few other ideas:

» Streamline Your Menu: If you're slammed (great!), think about which dishes take too long to make or have the worse margins and think about removing it.

» Sell Alcohol: The state and local governments have relaxed their rules on this. Most of you can sell packaged alcohol (bottle/cans of beer, bottles of wine). This can really increase your check average!

» Promote It: Just because you offer online ordering and/or delivery, doesn't mean people will flock to your restaurant. You have to make sure people know about it! There are a lot of competing voices... don't fade away, stay out in front. We can help with this!

» Kids Menu: With kids home from school, parents have to make lunch at home; which can be more tedious if they are working from home and/or homeschooling.  Give them a quick, easy and healthy kids lunch option (you can make a good profit on a PB&J).  These also play well on social media.

» Family Meals/Package Meals: With everyone at home more often, consider tweaking your menu to a) have a meal for 2 or 4, complete with wine, b) create cook-at-home meal kits where you supply the raw ingredients in the exact amounts needed and instructions on how to prepare it.  Companies like Home Chef and Blue Apron have been very successful at this over the past few years, and restaurants also have a unique opportunity - you have mass orders of ingredients and can parse it out in the exact portions (its hard to get 1 sprig of rosemary at the grocery store). We can send you some examples if you're interested.

» Sell Groceries: Many restaurants (including Panera) are expanding their offering to include groceries. Similar to the meal kits, restaurants have bulk pricing on staples that everyone needs and many people don't want to run to the grocery store with all of the crowds.  You could add milk, bread, eggs, meats, cheeses, and of course, toilet paper to your online menu (see below). 

You are obviously worried about your own survival and likely hated having to layoff your team members, but it is important to take care of them in any way you can, even if it is just moral support. Staying in touch and letting them know you care will go a long way as they navigate their own situations. Create a Zoom/Skype/Hangouts meeting or ask a team member to help organize one, send out emails or texts - whatever method works best for you, just do it!

When was the last time you had this much downtime? Hopefully, you never will again, but this is the perfect time to revamp your menu, paint the walls, take inventory (start an inventory process), etc. Or just rest, think, read, and decompress. It is a rare opportunity, make a plan based on what you need. TappedIn can help design, manage, and print your menus.  We even have a QR Code option that will allow you to never have to reprint To Go menus due to a typo or menu change!

Ask your guests to pay it forward - buy gift cards now to be redeemed later. You need the cash, and many of them haven't lost their jobs and have fewer ways to spend it now. Think about a special "Buy $X worth of gift cards, get $Y bonus cards." Statistics show us many cards are never redeemed (free money) and when they do, they spend over the original amount and tip your staff. Win-win! We can help you set up your gift card program: info@gettappedin.io

Another way to generate revenue and give your fans a way to help out, sell merch: t-shirts, hats, mugs, pints, magnets, etc.  Also, they become human billboards when wearing your gear!  Contact us to help find the right partner and design your merchandise. info@gettappedin.io

People want to help. You likely have a lot of regulars who truly care about your staff. If you don't ask, they won't know how to help! 

Keep the pressure on and let them know your plight. Visit this link to find your representative or click here to contact your senator.

Use your storefront as a billboard. Sure, digital signage is the best (we can do that, BTW), but any banner or handmade sign is better than nothing and you can get nice printed signs for relatively cheap.  We can help whether it is a printed or digital sign!

There are several sites that have gone up to help traffic (including Dining From A Distance, Infatuation, and Infatuation's Alcohol Delivery Guide).