COVID-19 has affected us all in different ways, but one of the sectors that has been hit hardest by this pandemic has been local restaurants and businesses. Here at Stanford’s, we have been lucky enough to be able to keep our doors open thanks to our fantastic and loyal patrons, but many businesses have not been as lucky. One of the best ways to help your community and to ensure that your city, town, and neighborhood bounces back and looks the way you remember it is to shop and eat locally. Luckily, supporting your local businesses can be a fun, delicious, and easy prospect. Make a reservation for your local Stanford’s today to start supporting your local community. Here are three ways that eating and shopping locally can help your community thrive.

Boost Your Local Economy

Few places are more important to us as Americans than the small communities that surround us as individuals. On average, most Americans spend a vast amount of their free time within 15 miles of their home, making that space immensely important. If you are like millions of Americans, you have probably turned to shopping online and buying almost everything on Amazon, which was an essential byproduct of the pandemic. However, now that numbers are starting to go down and businesses are starting to open back up to their full capacity, it is more important than ever to do your part to stimulate the local economy. Simply by shopping at your local grocery store, buying your next outfit from a local boutique, or even going out for a date night at your favorite restaurant, you are doing your part to reinvigorate your local community. That money you are putting into your local businesses will help ensure that your town will not only bounce back but will grow and thrive well past the end of the pandemic.

Enrich Your Community

We don’t just want our local communities to bounce back; we want them to grow well past where they used to be. Shopping local is the best step we as consumers can take to really build up our community, enrich our local culture, and ensure that our artists, builders, local companies, and our community centers continue to thrive, innovate, and expand. Shopping local is one of the greatest gifts you can give your community, and your local businesses will pay that gift back in dividends by expanding, hosting amazing get-togethers, and building a space that you can truly be proud of.

Supporting Your Neighbors

By shopping locally and spending your time in locally sourced restaurants and stores, you are doing much more than just supporting that one business. Shopping locally by ethically and locally sourced businesses has a ripple effect that resonates out in concentric circles from that business. By shopping at local restaurants and businesses, you are supporting the local farms that restaurant got its food from, the local candlemaker working out of their basement, and everyone in-between. Most local shops prefer buying local products from smaller retailers, so make sure that you check with your local restaurants and shops to see exactly where your food or products are coming from.

You can easily start supporting your local businesses and restaurants by making a reservation at your local Stanford’s. We also have a wide variety of takeout options that you can easily enjoy from the comfort of your home.