James Beck, chef and owner of Bistronomy, rallied the industry to come together forming the Hawke's Bay at Home platform. Photo / Supplied
James Beck, chef and owner of Bistronomy, rallied the industry to come together forming the Hawke's Bay at Home platform. Photo / Supplied
GOLOCAL
An online platform dubbed Hawke's Bay at Home includes 80 food and beverage options available locally at level 3.
The move to level 3 which allows people to order food and beverages for takeaway has kickstarted an innovative regional collaboration which formed the platform.
The website features more than 80 restaurants, cafes, bars, brewers and wineries which are offering food and drink options via contactless delivery or pick-up.
Chef and owner of Bistronomy, James Beck, wanted a way to put his takeaway menu in front of as many people as possible.
Knowing others would want to do the same, he rallied the industry together to create the platform.
Beck said there is a range of options from pizza and kebabs to restaurants such as Central Fire Station Bistro and Bistronomy.
Close to 1000 hours has gone into the project, with everyone working for free, Beck said.
"It's been great to see our industry come together to collaborate on this project which will be a great tool for people who want to support local and enjoy great food and drink at home.
"I'm also really humbled by the support we've received from the community.
"We have had local marketing and PR people working pro-bono on our behalf, and generous financial support from customers and other Hawke's Bay businesses. It's amazing and we are so grateful."
Liv Reynolds, co-owner of Mamacita Restaurants, said it had been a busy week preparing to reopen.
Liv Reynolds, co-owner Mamacita Restaurants, is looking forward to reopening their restaurants. Photo / Supplied
"Restaurant and Café owners have had to make significant changes to comply with level 3 restrictions, but we are all ready and really looking forward to getting back to work and serving great quality food to Hawke's Bay."
Gemma Smith, owner-operator of Brave Brewing, who have also come on board the site, said she wanted to join as they really liked the ethos of rallying behind local establishments.
"There's always been this camaraderie between Hawke's Bay hospitality venues. Everyone has always got each other's back and this [Hawke's Bay at Home] is an extension of that," she said.
When the lockdown was first announced Smith said it was "really scary" but they have been able to operate online and have had a huge response from locals and people from outside of Hawke's Bay which has helped them get through.
Beck said it is really important that the hospitality sector is able to get up and running again as the industry is a key part of the local economy and provides a lot of jobs in Hawke's Bay.
Operators are going to have to change how they run as "it's not going to be back to normal for at least two years, if ever", he said.
During the lockdown he had observed people using local businesses for produce instead of large supermarkets and hoped the hospitality industry could be part of this network.
As other hospitality businesses see the platform and want to be part of it they will be added.
Alice McKinley of Kin Marketing Director, who has led getting the website and campaign up and running in a week, said it had been "hectic" but is proud of what the group has achieved.
"Our Facebook page gathered over 4500 followers in 48 hours so it's really rewarding to see how excited people are about Hawke's Bay at Home, and that makes it all worthwhile," she said.
