Lodging And Eatery Org Says, ‘Rally For NH Restaurants’

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire’s lodging and restaurant association has teamed up with the state for a marketing campaign to get Granite State residents to eat out during two of the slowest months for the industry, after already being hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rally for NH Restaurants is an initiative that runs through March to educate the public about the plight of the hospitality industry while also exhorting customers to support local eateries and food establishments in a variety of ways. February and March tend to be the slowest times for the business — with the first quarter always being the slowest time of the year for businesses anyway. The effort is a “joint promotional program” through a grant from the New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism Development, according to Mike Somers, the president and CEO of the association.

“This grassroots movement is exactly the support our devasted industry needs right now,” he said. “We know consumers are looking for ways to help our restaurants and their employees. Through this movement, we can all come together to help the foodservice community stay afloat until spring.”

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RallyForNHRestaurants.com offers a number of ways to help support establishments including eating in, getting takeout orders, writing positive reviews on social media, and other endeavors. The org also stated what its members are doing to make sure that residents are safe eating out. The website offers a list of restaurants that are still open in six different regions of the state — Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee, Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, Monadnock Region, Seacoast, and White Mountains.

The campaign is also urging customers to use the hashtag #RallyForNHRestaurants to show support for the beleaguered restaurants.

According to the org, more than 200 New Hampshire restaurants have permanently closed during the coronavirus pandemic.