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Seattle (March 30, 2020) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the City of Seattle’s new #SupportSeattleSmallBiz map, which helps residents find small businesses providing takeout or delivery in their neighborhood. The map allows users to search for open small businesses in their neighborhood and navigate directly to a business’ website or third-party delivery service page.
The map is part of the City’s #SupportSeattleSmallBiz campaign, which asks residents to post pictures and videos from their favorite Seattle restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries that are doing delivery, to-go, and drive-through with #SupportSeattleSmallBiz and #WeGotThisSeattle, and tag @SeattleEconomy. City staff are working to add these locations to the map as quickly as possible.
“At the City, we’re doing everything we can locally to support our small businesses during this unprecedented moment in history,” said Mayor Durkan. “We’ve identified millions of dollars to invest directly in our most vulnerable small businesses and are working with our partners across government and in the private sector help many who are struggling. With many of our neighborhood restaurants still open, we can support our small businesses by ordering pickup or delivery during this time. I’m grateful to our community partners who helped shape our map and make it a reality.”
Small businesses have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and preventative measures to slow its spread. Earlier in March, the State and County issued orders prohibiting in-person dining, and requiring all restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries to transition to delivery, curbside pickup, and takeout only. These unprecedented measures to limit gatherings are critical to flattening the curve of the outbreak and savings lives. A recent study emphasizes the devastating impact COVID-19 could have on our small businesses and workers. It’s extremely critical that communities continue to support local small businesses to the extent they’re able.
“Small businesses treat their customers like family, create a sense of place in our neighborhoods, and build community. During this crisis I’ve seen small businesses go above and beyond, providing meals for frontline medical staff at our hospitals, and donate food to their local food banks. It’s our turn to support small businesses, and I hope Seattle residents will use this map to order take-out options, and explore new restaurants in our hardest hit neighborhoods, including the Chinatown/International District,” said Councilmember Tammy J. Morales, and member of the Small Business Recovery Task Force.
To use the map, residents can enter their location or drop a pin and find all the available restaurants near them. Once they select their restaurant, they can place a takeout or delivery order directly through the app or can receive directions to the restaurant. The map also connects users directly to third-party delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Caviar to easily patronize a restaurant. Seattle Information Technology (ITD) built the map, and City staff partnered with community leaders and small business owners to populate the map with initial businesses.
Restaurant, bar, café, and brewery owners can enter their information into a brief survey to see their business appear on the public-facing map within minutes. To help ensure quality and consistent data, ITD has created an internal map and survey that business owners can use to enter their information. If you’re a business owner interested in adding your information to the #SupportSeattleSmallBiz map, please contact the City at supportsmallbiz@seattle.gov.
“Local businesses define our communities; they are our community. For the Chinatown International District, our restaurants help make us one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle. Our businesses are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This map is an easy tool for all of us to find local businesses to support, and I encourage Seattleites to #SupportSeattleSmallBiz in the CID and beyond,” said Maiko Winkler-Chin, Executive Director of SCIDpda.
“At the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, we work to provide a voice for restaurant owners throughout the city. We know that our members are hurting, and that the impact of COVID-19 on our restaurant industry is already deeply felt. We appreciate the City of Seattle’s commitment to restaurant owners, and we are excited that this map will help bring some much-needed business to restaurants in Seattle,” said Linda Di Lello Morton, President of the Seattle Restaurant Alliance.
“Technology is playing an essential role to connect our community during the COVID-19 crisis. This map is one example of building a digital bridge for our residents to support our local businesses” said Saad Bashir, Chief Technology Officer at the City of Seattle.
Mayor Durkan and the City of Seattle have worked to implement a series of actions that support artists, nonprofits, small businesses, and workers, including:
- Deferring utility payments for customers impacted by COVID-19;
- Implementing a temporary moratorium on residential, small business, and nonprofit evictions to provide relief for working people financially impacted by COVID-19;
- Creating temporary restaurant loading zones to facilitate curbside pickup at restaurants;
- Announcing a small business relief package that included deferred business taxes and a stabilization fund;
- Creating a new Arts Recovery Package to provide immediate financial relief to artists and cultural organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19;
- Providing 6,250 Seattle families with $800 in grocery vouchers; and
- Providing rent relief to tenants of City-owned facilities.
The City has also created a comprehensive resource page for residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.