To-Go Denver Website Aims To Help Colorado Restaurants Stay In Business
DENVER (CBS4) - There's a new online resource to help people support the many restaurants trying to stay in business during these challenging times. Togodenver.com, a website by Visit Denver, now connects you to nearly 300 eateries offering to go, pick up, or delivery.
The site, which went live on Friday, lets you sort through area restaurants, organizing them by neighborhood or cuisine, and directs you straight to their website to place an order.
"Most of these restaurants are relying on their takeout and delivery business to stay in business at this point, so the more information we can share with the public, the more we can be a resource with togodenver.com," said Ashley Geisheker with Visit Denver.
The Denver Central Market, a food hall and grocery located near 27th and Larimer Streets, is one of many local eateries that can be found on the list. High Point Creamery and Izzio Bakery are two of the businesses there that have had to pivot in the last week, following changes by the city and state to curb the spread of COVID-19.
"Every day has brought us something new and something different, so just being really agile, flexible, and pivoting quickly," said Erika Thomas, with High Point Creamery.
For the creamery, that pivot means to go or delivery only, which Thomas estimates will amount to a 60% decline in sales.
Just a few feet away at Izzio's bakery, co-owner Etai Bar-on made the same changes, as well as laid off staff. Still, on top of selling goods to customers, the bakery is trying to give back to struggling hospitality staff in Denver by giving out free bread.
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"This week has been one of the hardest weeks I've ever had," he said.
Both can now be found through the Denver Central Market's listing online, which Bar-on described as "a potential lifeline."
For restaurateurs, it's free to register for the site, and for customers, it's easy to find and support your favorites.
"People can search on togodenver.com, either alphabetically by restaurant, by cuisine type, or by neighborhood," said Geisheker.
"We need to find a new group of customers and new people to eat what we make, so I think that is going to be a tremendous resource," said Bar-on.
In the coming weeks, many business owners will rely on the visibility given by the site, along with other yet-to-be-announced resources, as they fight to keep their establishments open.
"We're hopeful that we can make the money that we need to stay open," said Thomas. "Whether or not we can do that, we'll see in the next couple of weeks."
LINK: To Go Denver
