To aid the public in supporting local restaurants and breweries through the COVID-19 pandemic, one husband-and-wife team have developed a website to inform Abbotsford about the status of its favorite eateries.
Michael and Katrina LaRoy have launched abbyeatslocal.com through their company Cascadia Digital. The site has over 60 Abbotsford establishments signed up – completely free. They are donating their time and bearing all the costs of web hosting.
“We’re just happy to do our part to help support local establishments during these days,” Michael said. “Early on with the stay-at-home orders, we tried ordering from our favorite Vietnamese place, but we didn’t realize they were closed.
“We searched for a site with an accurate list of open local eateries in Abbotsford, but we just couldn’t find one.”
The website allows users to filter through different restaurants with options for takeout, delivery, curb-side pickup, meal kits, provisions and more. Its aim is to provide up-to-date information on the restaurants as they adapt to the changing circumstances, such as adjusted hours. Users are encouraged to provide updates and suggest additional establishments through the website.
“We are really asking the public to help us with this. We are aware that we don’t have absolutely every neighbourhood cafe listed…”