Friends of The Girl & The Vine
Donation protected
TLDR: Please help support the amazing, hardworking staff at The Girl & The Vine, whose livelihoods, like those of restaurant workers everywhere, depend on our patronage and generosity, now more than ever.
Since the day it opened, not quite a year ago, The Girl & The Vine, led by our pals Jocelyne, David, and Rob, has been a big part of our daily lives. Whether meeting after work for a quick get together, or on a lazy weekend afternoon for a tasty meal and a drink, or bringing home a delicious bottle of wine to share with our loved ones, no place feels more like a home away from home that TG&TV. Together, we've celebrated so many birthdays, holidays, and just quiet evenings, enjoying the feeling of being cared for by a talented team of professionals working tirelessly to give people like us a place to relax and unwind outside our homes. Now it's time to give back and show our appreciation.
The ultimate effects of COVID-19 on our lives will take time to fully understand but its impact on the restaurant industry—and specifically The Girl & The Vine—is here and now. Having been in business less than a year, TG&TV is particularly vulnerable to this crisis. Across the industry, workers are losing tips, shifts, and jobs—making paying their bills, supporting their families, and putting food on their own table an existential challenge. Look no further than Eater's Coronavirus Guide for the difficult days the industry is facing.
What can you do to help?
Like the team at The Girl & The Vine, many of us are experiencing income uncertainty and/or spending extra money on the things needed to get through this time. Please give whatever you can. Any level of support for TG&TV family will make it more likely they will be around when life gets back to "normal."
What's The Girl & The Vine doing?
Over the past week, The Girl & The Vine has had to rapidly downsize its once robust food and beverage service, as well as its retail and catering operations to help keep our community safe and to comply with constantly changing government mandates. But they are still up and running, mainly as a delivery service, at least for the time being. Jocelyne, David, and Rob are in the process of devising a way to support the staff they've had to lay off, using a percentage of the limited revenues they can still generate, mostly through the sale and delivery of beer, wine, and spirits. In the mean time, in addition to making a contribution, you can order wine and other retail products from their website, and buy gift cards now that you can use later. And like many small businesses, they are eagerly awaiting to learn what kind of local, state, and federal loan programs they can access to support their business and team.
Where will the money go?
Funds you donate will go directly to support the staff of The Girl & The Vine. Almost all of the roughly 20 of them, now laid off, were full-time employees who depended on The Girl & The Vine as their main source of income. Many have kids they are supporting and some have partners who also work in the restaurant industry.
How much should I give?
Every little bit helps. Consider a full-time staffer at The Girl & The Vine makes around $700 per week on average.
I'm not familiar with GoFundMe. How does it work?
https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/help-with-gofundme
Isn't the government going to bailout small businesses?
The federal government is considering a number of stimulus programs, which may include loan programs for small businesses like The Girl & The Vine. However, it will take time for that to materialize. In the interim, mortgage/rent payments are due, there are kids to feed, bills to pay, etc. Waiting for government help unfortunately isn't an option.
Since the day it opened, not quite a year ago, The Girl & The Vine, led by our pals Jocelyne, David, and Rob, has been a big part of our daily lives. Whether meeting after work for a quick get together, or on a lazy weekend afternoon for a tasty meal and a drink, or bringing home a delicious bottle of wine to share with our loved ones, no place feels more like a home away from home that TG&TV. Together, we've celebrated so many birthdays, holidays, and just quiet evenings, enjoying the feeling of being cared for by a talented team of professionals working tirelessly to give people like us a place to relax and unwind outside our homes. Now it's time to give back and show our appreciation.
The ultimate effects of COVID-19 on our lives will take time to fully understand but its impact on the restaurant industry—and specifically The Girl & The Vine—is here and now. Having been in business less than a year, TG&TV is particularly vulnerable to this crisis. Across the industry, workers are losing tips, shifts, and jobs—making paying their bills, supporting their families, and putting food on their own table an existential challenge. Look no further than Eater's Coronavirus Guide for the difficult days the industry is facing.
What can you do to help?
Like the team at The Girl & The Vine, many of us are experiencing income uncertainty and/or spending extra money on the things needed to get through this time. Please give whatever you can. Any level of support for TG&TV family will make it more likely they will be around when life gets back to "normal."
What's The Girl & The Vine doing?
Over the past week, The Girl & The Vine has had to rapidly downsize its once robust food and beverage service, as well as its retail and catering operations to help keep our community safe and to comply with constantly changing government mandates. But they are still up and running, mainly as a delivery service, at least for the time being. Jocelyne, David, and Rob are in the process of devising a way to support the staff they've had to lay off, using a percentage of the limited revenues they can still generate, mostly through the sale and delivery of beer, wine, and spirits. In the mean time, in addition to making a contribution, you can order wine and other retail products from their website, and buy gift cards now that you can use later. And like many small businesses, they are eagerly awaiting to learn what kind of local, state, and federal loan programs they can access to support their business and team.
Where will the money go?
Funds you donate will go directly to support the staff of The Girl & The Vine. Almost all of the roughly 20 of them, now laid off, were full-time employees who depended on The Girl & The Vine as their main source of income. Many have kids they are supporting and some have partners who also work in the restaurant industry.
How much should I give?
Every little bit helps. Consider a full-time staffer at The Girl & The Vine makes around $700 per week on average.
I'm not familiar with GoFundMe. How does it work?
https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/help-with-gofundme
Isn't the government going to bailout small businesses?
The federal government is considering a number of stimulus programs, which may include loan programs for small businesses like The Girl & The Vine. However, it will take time for that to materialize. In the interim, mortgage/rent payments are due, there are kids to feed, bills to pay, etc. Waiting for government help unfortunately isn't an option.
Fundraising team: Friends of The Girl & The Vine (4)
Marc Pfeuffer
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC
Jocelyne DeHaas
Beneficiary
Elana Benatar
Team member
Sarah VanWye
Team member