Letter to the Editor: Skip the Apps - Order Direct from Local Restaurants
To the Editor,
The Covid Omicron surge is once again playing havoc, especially with patrons not going out to eat at restaurants again. Take out of course is the answer to still enjoy good meals, but also to support our local venues as they struggle through this waive.
At issue though, is peoples’ use of third-party apps and delivery services such as Uber Eats, Door Dash and Grub Hub. They charge as much as a 30% fee to the restaurant for delivery and an unbelievable 25% for an order that is picked up by the customer themselves. According to Bob O’Mahoney, co-owner of Viva Zapata, “those fees are our profit margin.”
The answer is old school, and to bypass these services. The Chamber of Commerce is launching an initiative called “Order Direct – Pick it up.” We are asking residents to either call up or use a restaurant’s own website or app to make a take out order either online or by phone and then pick it up. This simple adjustment in thinking and action will put these excessive fees back into the pocket of our local friends and businesspeople.
Howard Bass CEO of Manna Toast said, “we offer pickup and delivery through our website and try our best to encourage customers to order directly, as the third-party platforms take 30% off the top.”
We are not alone in this thinking. The giant national pizza chain Domino’s has been running commercials for the last two months saying the same, to support small local merchants. Domino’s franchise owner Steve Dolan said, “The best way for customers to support local restaurants now is to go back to [them] directly and don’t use delivery apps.”
The goal is for people to order take out and pick up their own food, but if you need or must have a delivery then these services are of course available to be used, especially if no alternative exists. As Angelo Capponi, owner of Bene e Bene said, “70% is better than 0%, but we also offer take out, and we hope people will come to us. They can just call us up.”
While this concept is coming to a head now amidst the pandemic, it’s something that should be embraced moving forward. Clearly use of third-party apps is easy, but the cost to our local economy is huge. Please reach out to your favorite restaurant, find out how they would like you to Order Directly and Pick it Up.
Thanks to Miggs Burroughs for the artwork.
Matthew Mandell
Executive Director
Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce
Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Invites Middle Schoolers to “Breaking Barriers” Writing Competition
Board of Education Members Sherelle Harris and Barbara Meyer-Mitchell present award and prizes to winner Alessandra, 2019, courtesy of Alex Rosenfeld Photography. From the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Executive DirectorThe Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will launch its ninth annual Young Writers’ Competition on February 7, 2022. The competition titled, Breaking Barriers, will end on June 3, 2022 and will be open to all middle school students sixth through eighth grade in the Tristate area.
Young writers are tasked to write an essay about a person, place, or topic in history, or in current times, that they consider to be ground-breaking, pioneering, or innovative, that broke technological, social, or cultural barriers to pave the way for others. Participants may choose to write about historical or contemporary examples of prominent figures, powerful social movements, and cutting-edge technological marvels such as the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion, or a notable individual from their community that inspires them. Students will have to conduct research on their subject, referencing noteworthy ideas, actions, or works to make a convincing argument.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, June 3 and competition winners will be notified by mid-September. Award-recipients and their families will be Guests of Honor at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, at 2 p.m. where they will receive prizes for their winning submissions. Requirements and guidelines for the competition will be posted on the Museum’s website and flyers.
For more information on LMMM’s Young Writers’ Competition, school tours, and sending submissions, please contact Education Program Director Iliana Begetis at 203-838-9799 ext. 6 or email education@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com.
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is located at 295 West Avenue in Norwalk. For more information on tours and programs, please visit www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, email info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.
The Museum’s 2022 cultural and educational programs are made possible in part by generous funding from LMMM’s Founding Patrons: The Estate of Mrs. Cynthia Clark Brown; LMMM’s Leadership Patrons: The Sealark Foundation; and LMMM’s 2022 Season Distinguished Benefactors: The City of Norwalk and The Maurice Goodman Foundation.
Sirens: First Responders Search Saugatuck River for Possible Person
The Westport Police Department Dive Rescue Team remained on standby after 6:00 this evening from the Westport Library parking lot. WestportLocal.com photo
Westport firefighters, including the newly promoted Chief Michael Kronick (center) on scene from the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. WestportLocal.com photoFirst responders were dispatched shortly after 5:00 this evening to the Saugatuck River in the area of Downtown for the person possibly in the water.
Westport Police Department and Fire Department officials could be seen throughout the riverbank sections of the community, with the Police Department Dive Team unit standing-by at the Westport Library parking lot, with members searching the waters in the vicinity of the Downtown area.
A short time after 7:00 tonight, the Westport Police Department’s Marine 1 response boat could be seen heading upriver from its Winter standby location outside of the Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club. Local air temperatures hovered around 35 degrees and water temperatures just above 42 degrees.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 44; State Positivity Rate and Hospitalizations Both Down since Yesterday
The Aspetuck Health District and the State Department of Public Health reported 44 new COVID-19 cases for Westport over the past 24 hours. The State’s daily test positivity rate was down again today, sitting at 20.27% while hospitalizations were also down as 22 patients were released from hospitals, totaling 1,917 patients. 67.2% of those hospitalized are not fully vaccinated.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 3,296 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 33 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 20.27% [down from 21.94%]
State Hospitalizations: 1,917 patients [-22]