As restaurants continue to navigate uncharted territory in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, little acts of kindness have continued to spring up, shedding a bright light on these very dark times.
About two weeks ago, Buckley’s got a surprise visit from Milwaukee Brewers’ pitcher Josh Lindblom and his wife Aurielle, who purchased $500 in meals for the restaurant to pay forward to its guests.
These are, of course, the stories that regularly make the news. After all, we all love to hear about how our sports icons and hometown heroes are giving back to the community.
But making a difference for restaurants doesn’t take fame, fortune or a ton of cash. In fact, showing support can take a variety of forms, from simply ordering take-out, to purchasing gift cards or restaurant bonds, buying merchandise or donating to relief funds.
In fact, some guests are finding new, innovative ways to simultaneously support their favorite local restaurants and pay-it-forward in the community at the same time.
Support from 2,000 miles away
"I love a good meal, and when we go out to dinner, I order things that I can’t make at home," says Anne Sprecher, former public relations and marketing professional for Sprecher Brewing. "So I have a real appreciation for restaurants. I have an appreciation for the culture and hospitality, as well as all the hard work that goes into every meal that’s served."
And that deep appreciation has followed Sprecher and her husband Randy over 2,000 miles to the Central Coast region of California where the couple has regularly wintered for over a decade.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Sprechers elected to stay in California to wait things out. But in the meantime, Anne says they found themselves with a deep desire to reconnect with their hometown of Milwaukee.
"We’ve kept up with a lot of the news," she says. "And after reading an article about the pivot made by The Tandem to serve the community, we made the decision that we really wanted to show our support."
Paying it forward
The first thing they did was to make a donation to The Tandem to assist them in their mission to feed community members in need. But from there, Anne says, they gave a good deal of thought to how to support other restaurants.
"Not only do we have favorite restaurants where we dine regularly," she says. "But there are so many places which have really stuck with us and supported Sprecher by carrying products over all these years. So we really wanted to find a way to give back."
The two discussed a plan of action and she reached out to four or five of her favorite places, explaining the idea.
"I told them," she says, "That we would donate a sum of money to them. Half of the money was to be split among the restaurant staff. But the other half should be used to provide a discount to carry-out customers."
The customers wouldn’t know about the discount until they picked up their orders, she says; and when they did, the restaurants were instructed to tell them it was provided by an anonymous friend of the restaurant.
"Our hope really was that those customers would choose to pay it forward," she says. "Maybe they’d do something similar for another restaurant. Or maybe they’d leave a bigger tip for the staff. In the bigger scheme of things, it’s really not that much. But I really hoped that it would plant a seed and that maybe it would be something that others could use to pay forward."
"It’s really about creating a circle of caring while thanking people for the work that they’re doing," she says. "We’ve all had amazing experiences in restaurants… celebrating birthdays or anniversaries… and I think it’s really important to express appreciation for that. It’s about taking the time to say: Thank you. I’m so glad you’re around."
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
