To our community, our customers, our team, our people,
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, you may be wondering why we’ve stayed open while so many other businesses are closing.
Some of you are stressed about your health or the health of loved ones.
Some are anxious about the financial impact of COVID-19 on our community.
Others may be wrestling with both concerns.
Know that Ori’Zaba’s leadership has weighed all of these perspectives, and the safety of our team and our community is our top priority. We have taken intentional and informed steps to keep everyone in our community safe.
Ori’Zaba’s Cares
It is an important goal to keep life as normal as possible.
We know – and are honored that – our community looks forward to our fantastic food.
Right now, we all need something to look forward to.
When it comes to food service, we are:
- Adhering to mandated social distancing by shutting down in-restaurant dining.
- Feeding our friends, families, and fans in our community by continuing to offer take out and delivery.
- Maintaining elevated sanitation procedures.
Ori’Zaba’s is also doing our best to navigate the financial realities of the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that creates the least amount of disruption for our employees.
We know our team members are looking to us to address their concerns about financial security.
We paid team members for their regular hours as long as we possibly could and plan to keep our stores open as long as we possibly can.
Unfortunately, because of financial and volume realities, we’ve limited staffing, operating hours, and are weighing some temporary store closures.
We have taken steps to ensure that impacted employees have the support they need to qualify for unemployment under the new CARE Act.
Protecting and Supporting Our People
Thank you to all our loyal customers. Thank you to our fantastic team. You are, without a doubt, “our people.”
And…
Now more than ever, it is essential for all of us to remember that we are in this together.
“Our people” means much more than our families, our co-workers, and our neighbors.
Our people are the American people, the whole human race.
We must give to the greater good whenever and wherever possible. Ultimately, it is these acts of giving that will make our communities stronger.
That is why Ori’Zaba’s has decided to raise awareness and funds for the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.
This fund is a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to protecting and supporting the citizens of this country and our economy.
Backed by companies like:
- Modelo
- Angry Orchard
- The Food Network
- PepsiCo
- UberEats
This relief fund was created in response to COVID-19 and is providing grants to restaurant industry employees who have been impacted by COVID-19.
This includes restaurant workers who have seen a decrease in wages or loss of employment.
This fund is operated by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF), “whose mission is to attract, empower, and advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workers.”
If you or someone you know is in a position to help support this fund, you can donate here.
If you or someone you know needs support and may qualify for assistance through this fund, you can apply here.
Focus On The Future
No one knows when things will get back to normal.
When the pandemic is over, we look forward to:
- reopening our doors.
- seeing the faces of our loyal customers.
- filling our restaurants with the sound of chatter and laughter.
And when that time comes, we will hold our heads high – proud – knowing we did the best we could do to protect and support our people.