City of Clovis campaigning to get people to eat local

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The city of Clovis is taking to social media to help encourage people to dine locally while staying at home.

The Local restaurant in Old Town Clovis is preparing for another day of serving take-out food to its customers.

"Our take-outs were 5% of our total revenue, (but now) we offer up a lot more take-out friendly items, kids eat for free," says Local owner Jesse Mendoza. "We have family feasts that are going on. Right now, we are doing anything to drum up business, drum up attention."

The Local is one of dozens of restaurants in the city that are still serving during the shelter in place.

The city of Clovis is taking steps to help spread the word that they're open for business.

"We launched a social media campaign virtually within an hour to promote people to go and do takeout options at our restaurants," said Clovis Economic Development Director Andy Haussler.

"And we asked our restaurants to share with us discounts they're offering to encourage people to come and shop at their favorite places to eat, eat out," he said.

Many restaurants are locally owned. You can find them on Clovis' web site and it's Facebook page for activities and special events. There are deals and a look at what's open, from fancy to fast food. You can also utilize delivery services like Uber Eats and Grub Hub.

Employees like Danielle Van Ness feel fortunate to be working and appreciate the support. Recently, she got an unexpected tip from a friend.

"I started tearing up that day. It didn't matter what the amount was, just the thought that your friends are thinking of you and caring about your daughter," said Danielle Van Ness, manager of The Local.

The city hopes to keep the restaurants in business and keep the economy running.

"You're making sure they have the cash available when this is over so you can go back and enjoy some of your favorite places," Haussler said.

For now, The Local is open six days a week. For a look at other restaurants that are open in your area

https://abc30.com/restaurants/

https://www.visitclovis.com/dining/

For more news coverage on the coronavirus and COVID-19 go to ABC30.com/coronavirus