Produced in Kent and Visit Kent have combined forces to bolster the hospitality industry in a campaign dubbed “Support Your Local”. The initiative aims to help businesses as they come out of lockdown, focussing on the county’s food and drink sector. With pubs, restaurants and food tourism attractions amongst the last establishments to open up with the easing of restrictions, many now face an uncertain future. Produced in Kent and Visit Kent, are proposing a county-wide community appeal and marketing campaign, set to run from July to December 2020, in support of these local, independent enterprises.
Produced in Kent, the voice of Kent food and drink, and Visit Kent, the destination management organisation for Kent, are teaming up during this difficult time. Both organisations have long worked to showcase the best of the Garden of England and are supporting local businesses across the county. The new Support Your Local initiative will encourage customers to show their love for their favourite Kent food and drink businesses – and show their care for fellow diners too! This initiative will provide a much-needed boost to Kent’s £2.6 billion visitor economy, which has been badly hit since the pandemic.
Those wishing to support the campaign can make a Caring Customer Pledge to Kent’s local restaurants, pubs, cafes and hotels when they open. In doing so, patrons will be pledging their commitment to Respect, Protect and Enjoy establishments as each one adapts to post-lockdown circumstances. Caring Customers can proudly display the #CaringCustomer badge on their social media and are actively encouraged to share their experiences on social media and leave online reviews, using the Caring Customer hashtag.
Since March, when lockdown commenced due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, operations in the hospitality industry have all but ceased. Although some businesses have been able to offer take-away services, most have had to stop trading altogether, furloughed all staff and sold off or donated their perishables. The financial consequences are, unfortunately, already evident, with some establishments having been boarded up and closed permanently. Fears continue to grow that, if the sector fails on a grand scale, it could affect tourism, as well as the food and drink suppliers to these businesses, for years to come.
Supporting local businesses has never been more important, indeed more crucial, for the continued survival of Kent’s renowned and ever-exciting hospitality industry. By joining up to Produced in Kent and Visit Kent’s project, caring customers will not only be providing financial help to struggling food and drink venues, but also showing them that they are a staple of the community. That without them, the community wouldn’t be the same. Now more than ever, these enterprises are deserving of celebration as they strive to accommodate the demands of our changing times. Balancing stringent health and safety measures with customers’ enjoyment will, undoubtedly, prove to be challenging, but with the help of loyal patrons, they are guaranteed to rise to the occasion.
Further details about taking part in the Caring Customer Pledge, as well as an interactive map showing local suppliers and other useful information associated with the Support Your Local scheme, can be found on the HelpKentBuyLocal.co.uk website.
The campaign would not have been possible without the financial support from private individuals and match-funding support from Kent County Council. The following key stakeholders in Kent endorse the campaign and support it by sharing its #CaringCustomer pledge and campaign activities with their professional networks and with the general public:
Endorsers include; The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Gadd’s brewery, Nightingale Cider, Curd and Cure, High Sheriff of Kent, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Down Winery, Shepherd Neame Brewery, Outset UK, Frasers, Simpsons Wine Estate amongst many others, see link for updated list.
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For more information please contact AJ Sharp or Clare Pope of Sharp Relations on clare@sharprelations.com aj@sharprelations.com 07973387216
Editor’s Notes
Produced in Kent is a trade organisation which supports and promotes food, drink and craft businesses in Kent. By providing advice and sales opportunities to Kent’s businesses, it nurtures the rural communities in which they thrive. The success of Produced in Kent’s recent initiative Help Kent Buy Local is behind the Buy Local Southeast campaign rallying Kent, Essex and East Sussex food and drink businesses in the lockdown and recovery phase following Covid19.
For further information, please visit: producedinkent.co.uk (consumer) or (join.producedinkent.co.uk (trade).
Visit Kent Ltd is the Destination Management Organisation for Kent (the Garden of England), welcoming 65million visitors a year, championing the county’s £3.8 billion tourism industry and supporting more than 77,000 jobs.
It is recognised as one of the country’s leading DMOs, targeting UK and overseas markets to raise Kent’s profile as a premier destination, improving quality and skills within the industry, and growing investment in tourism. Visit Kent is a public/private sector partnership supported by Kent County Council, Medway Council, district and borough councils, and the leading sector tourism businesses in Kent.
For further information visit www.visitkent.co.uk (consumer) or www.visitkentbusiness.co.uk (business), or tweet @visitkent.
#CaringCustomer Pledge
As a Caring Customer who supports my local restaurants, pubs, cafes, tearooms and hotels when they open, I pledge to #RespectProtectEnjoy my local as follows:
Respect the place I am visiting
- I will book my table in advance and I am happy to pay a deposit if they ask
- I will give them plenty of notice if I wish to cancel or amend a booking
- I will tell them in advance if I have any special dietary requirements
- I understand that this is a difficult time for many businesses, and I will be patient and considerate
Protect myself, the staff and other customers
- I will cancel my booking if anyone in my party and/or household shows signs of having Covid-19
- I will follow the Government social distancing guidelines on my way to, and during my time at, the venue
- I am happy to provide the business with my contact details in advance
- I will follow any safety procedure I am asked to
- I will respect the other visitors
Enjoy my Experience
- I am proud to support Kent’s fabulous food and drink offering!
- I will share my experience with others on social media to help promote them
- I will leave a review online
- If I have any concerns about their safety protocol, I will speak to the person in charge, rather than leaving a negative review