Cover Support local restaurants and get your chilli crab fix at the same time (Image: Violet Oon Singapore)

The company’s dedicated #LoveYourLocalSG microsite features a wide range of dining deals to encourage consumer support of businesses and communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic

The toll that local businesses have had to bear in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented, with some of the worst-hit operating in the F&B industry. Thankfully, amid their struggles, we are also seeing community support like never before. Launched today (April 16), TripAdvisor’s #LoveYourLocalSG advocacy campaign is the latest example, a first in a series of initiatives by the global travel guidance company to support the hospitality industry, and it’s expected to last through the year.

“We are confident the travel industry will eventually pick up again but in the meantime, Tripadvisor, as an influential global business, has an important role to play in helping consumers and partners throughout this crisis and as the industry moves towards recovery,” shares its vice president of business operations and strategy in Asia Pacific, Jane Lim. She also notes how the campaign aims to inform consumers of ways to support local businesses during this time of social distancing “and offer businesses options to provide their services responsibly”.

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Above Violet Oon Singapore is offering a variety of set menus that can be delivered islandwide
Tatler Asia
Above Take away your favourite Shang Palace dishes and be rewarded for it

Not surprisingly, the microsite currently features a broad selection of predominantly takeaway and delivery ​deals from a long list of restaurants and partners like Chope, Burpple, Shopback GO and Shopee. The list of offers will be refreshed weekly, as will curated content on trending topics. Businesses looking to feature a promotion are also encouraged to get in contact. In fact, the site’s “takeout and delivery” tool ​lets owners easily mark their restaurants as such, so that consumers can easily identify businesses that offer these services.

Partner businesses agree that it’s a win-win situation. “ChopeDeals offers off-peak dining deals, which encourage customers to takeaway during less crowded periods through time-based discounts,” Chope CEO Arrif Ziaudeen expounds. Restaurants can also manage their listing and choose to highlight unique products such as gift cards at no cost.

(Related: The Best Food Delivery Options from your Favourite Restaurants in Singapore During the Coronavirus Crisis)

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Above Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant Candlenut is currently promoting a specially priced takeaway/delivery menu

It’s only natural but notable nonetheless that the campaign is also supporting the Eat For Good campaign, a collaborative initiative by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre’s Company of Good. Simply put, F&B businesses are invited to participate by offering ​pay-it-forward meals that the public can purchase for the vulnerable groups in the community. “We hope that Eat for Good will continue to grow even beyond the Covid-19 situation, with more partners looking to do good, and provide new ways for individuals and organisations to give back in their daily encounters,” said its head Quek Shiyun. According to a statement on its website, the first 1,000 Eat for Good meals have been purchased by Maybank Singapore and Food Bank Singapore will be managing their distribution through its Feed the City programme.

(Related: Get Wine Delivered to Your Home During The Coronavirus Pandemic)

If you’re looking to contribute even more to the more vulnerable during this period, you can do so via Shopee’s ​​Lend a Hand, If You Can campaign, which TripAdvisor is supporting. Users can purchase essential items such as food and exercise equipment from selected sellers for beneficiaries under​ Food from the Heart​ and ​Filos Community Services​.

#LoveYourLocalSG is part of a wider global advocacy campaign and TripAdvisor expects to launch it in other Asian markets in the next few months, Lim adds. Indeed, the notion that it pays to pay it forward rings particularly true in uniquely challenging times.

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