Next Time You Eat Out, American Express Might Pay Your Bill

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As restaurants nationwide continue to recover from the unfathomable toll that the global pandemic took on the food and beverage industry, two major companies are joining forces to support independent eateries across the U.S.

In a press release, American Express unveiled its new "Every Resy Counts" initiative in partnership with the restaurant reservation service Resy (which American Express owns), as part of a larger "Let's Grab a Table" campaign. The program, which aims to drive business to independently owned and operated restaurants throughout the month of March, will raise money for food and beverage industry relief efforts and reward diners nationwide with free meals in the process.

Studies have indicated that over 3.1 million food service industry jobs were lost and more than 110,000 restaurants were permanently shuttered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (via International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health). Although the Biden administration signed a $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund into law, Restaurant Hospitalities reports many independent eateries have still struggled to keep up financially in the face of pandemic restrictions, losses, and labor shortages.

American Express and Resy are hoping to encourage diners to support their local restaurants with their latest initiative. Throughout the month of March, for every 1 million reservations completed on Resy, different tiers of financial support for restaurant relief will be unlocked, including a $500,000 donation to Southern Smoke, a nonprofit emergency relief fund that has distributed nearly $9 million in emergency funds to individual food and beverage industry workers facing crises like medial bills, car accidents, and mental health needs.

By Gillie Houston
Read More: tastingtable.com 
February 24, 2022