A restaurant buys gift cards of thousands of euros to support other restaurants

Ο Adolfo Melendez, the owner of the restaurant Tex-Mex El Mezcal on Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA, bought $ 2.000 vouchers for local restaurants. "If you help one person and that helps a third, it will help a lot," he told CNN.
As of early December, more than 110.000 restaurants in the United States have either closed temporarily or been permanently shut down by the pandemic, according to the American Restaurant Association.
"About 35% of restaurants are still struggling to stay afloat," Melendez told CNN. As he explained, the idea was born to help his colleagues, when a real estate company helped him, buying $ 300 in vouchers-gift cards for his restaurant. At the end of 2020, he also started buying gift cards from local restaurants and offer them to customers through his restaurant Facebook page. The restaurants that took part in the initiative said they were responsible for Melendez's generosity.
In fact, thanks to Melendez they realized that they can overcome the obstacles of the pandemic only with cooperation. "In covid-19 "During this period, it is very important to prefer the local, small traditional shops", said the Pete Ananiadis of Olympia Family Restaurant. "It is a difficult time for everyone," he added. Melendez said it was important to help small businesses stay open during the pandemic, because it is the backbone of the region's economy. "This industry keeps us alive," he said.