Discovery Business Insure has announced that it is supporting the hard-hit Restaurant industry, by calling a competition whereby restaurants can celebrate their ‘ReDiscovery’, and have a chance to win R25000, according to Good Things Guy. 

The Discovery Business Insure ‘ReDiscovery’ gesture is linked to the upcoming Heritage Day of 24 September, inviting Restaurants to celebrate their roots and heritage.

Restaurateur and musician Singer J’Something of Mi Casa is spearheading the campaign. The most-voted for restaurant becomes the winner out of five selected  finalists, and  will receive R25000.

Focusing on Heritage Day, Discovery Business Insure wants to encourage restaurants to focus on the theme of “Re-Discovery” – ‘Re-discovering our roots. Re-discovering our traditions. Re-discovering whatever it is that brings us together and what makes us unique and different’. The insurance company states that food is an important link to our past.

Discovery Business Insure spokesperson Lana Ross said the following about its ReDiscovery Restaurant initiative:

‘Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached our shores last March, South Africa’s restaurants have been some of the hardest-hit businesses. Restaurant owners have suffered major losses during subsequent levels of lockdown and could really use our support to get back on their feet again as the country’s vaccination programme rollout picks up’.

We are very much aware of the devastation to lives and livelihoods as a direct consequence of the various lockdown periods. Consequently, many restaurants have closed or suffered major cuts backs and job losses during the past year and a half or so,” said Ross. “And yet restaurateurs are quite resilient business owners and have been working hard through this period to find ways to diversify their businesses and reclaim this highly viable economic industry as we move through 2021. They could still benefit from our support as patrons, though’. 

Given the dreadful devastation which the Lockdown has caused to the restaurant industry in particular, Discovery Business Insure sees its competition as a means to reboot and reboost the restaurant industry.  In Cape Town and the Winelands a total of 80 restaurants have closed down during Lockdown, while roughly 100 new restaurants have opened in the same period.

To participate in this promotion, lovers of their favorite restaurants should tag them on Social Media platforms, using the hashtag #RestaurantReDiscovery, and post a 60-90 second video of what their restaurant means to them – its purpose, flavour, and heritage.  The closing date is 30 September.

Discovery Insure will shortlist five finalist videos and will share these publicly so that one can vote for one’s favourite. Votes are counted by the most comments using all the Social Media platforms, and the shortlisted restaurant with the most votes will be crowned the winner of R25 000.

“We hope that this campaign will lift the sentiment among these businesses right now and encourage us all to support the restaurant industry in a really uplifting way so that it can return to its once highly vibrant state sooner rather than later. This is one small way we hope to encourage things in this positive direction so that we can all see our favourite dining spots through to better days ahead.’

Sadly one prize only in a competition which benefits one restaurant only out of an estimated total of 500000 restaurants in our country, and at a small change amount of R25000, will not be likely to attract much attention or support. Given the size of Discovery, and that many working in the restaurant industry are members, it is shameful that it is allocating such a tiny incentive to restaurants to participate in this competition, and that it makes a debatable claim of how its competition could boost the restaurant industry!

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide