Hawaii restaurants are shutting down their dining rooms after Gov. David Ige called on them to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. To cushion the blow, a new online directory has launched to help them connect with hungry, home-bound residents.
Built purely upon submissions from the public, the Hawaii Grinds @ Home directory launched last night and already lists over 80 restaurants — both independent eateries and chains — that offer delivery, drive-through, take-out, and curbside pickup service.
The directory also lists businesses selling gift cards, which could provide them a short-term financial boost, as well as services like catering, meal plans and meal kits, personal shoppers and personal chefs. It can be searched, sorted by name, location, and other fields, and downloaded for easy reference.
Hawaii Grinds @ HOME is free to both add and access information.
Hawaii Grinds @ Home was inspired by Dining at a Distance, a similar directory launched in Chicago, which drew over 800 contributions by the time the city’s restaurant ban took effect on Tuesday.
Hawaii Grinds @ Home is the brainchild of Melanie Kosaka and Ryan Ozawa, with critical early support from Melissa Chang. Kosaka is the founder of First Daughter Media Works, and is a prominent local food writer. Ozawa is the Communications Director of local tech firm Hawaii Information Service, and runs several local websites. Chang is the Vice President of marketing firm AdStreamz, Inc., and is widely considered the leading island expert on social marketing.
“The governor’s call for restaurants to end dine-in service could be devastating to Hawaii’s restaurant industry,” Ozawa says. “Here’s one way to help them find customers, helping you feed your family while also supporting local businesses.”
You can find the directory, and ways to contribute, at www.hawaiigrinds.com/home. The directory uses the Airtable service, which in addition to the web, supports apps for all major platforms.
About Hawaii Grinds @ HOME
Hawaii Grinds @ HOME is a crowdsourced COVID-19 dining directory for Hawaii. Inspired by Chicago’s Dining at a Distance project, it allows restauranteurs and restaurant patrons to share businesses providing take-out or delivery service.