Kauai Beer Co.’s Baked Ono Platter, served with macadamia nut crusted ono, sautéed kale and roasted sweet potatoes, good for four people. Bring a growler to take home some of the best handcrafted beer in Hawai‘i. Contributed photo
By Léo Azambuja
Many restaurants on Kaua‘i have switched to take-out and delivery only in order to comply with government orders to fight the spread of COVID-19. But with procedures changing on a daily basis, it can be difficult to stay informed. So a local girl came up with a clever idea: a virtual group in the world’s largest social media site, where information about local restaurants can be easily found.
“Locals love to eat,” said Emily Manuel, creator of Kaua‘i Take Out or Delivery Service group on Facebook. “Food is comforting. Eating is important for us; it’s part of our culture.”
With Kaua‘i going into a lockdown and a nightly curfew, Emily was wondering how restaurants would be able to get information to the public on how they are adapting to the new rules. She also noticed restaurants and community members were asking the same questions on Facebook.
“I realized everyone was having the same concerns,” Emily said. So on March 19, the day before Kaua‘i went into a nightly curfew imposed by Mayor Derek Kawakami, she created the Facebook group. In only a few days, the group’s membership swelled to more than 2,500 people.
Just about anything Street Burger does is a hit. They are now serving 12-inch brick oven pizzas. This one here was dressed with arugula pesto sauce, and topped with Kunana Dairy goat cheese, prosciutto and fresh arugula. Contributed photo
The group, she said, is designed as a spot for people to see what services restaurants are offering. It’s a completely free resource created just for the community and local food-service businesses.
Several restaurants joined the group. The information comes from them, and also from members. It’s an interactive page, with constant updates on the island’s restaurants.
It turns out, she said, people were not just providing information, but also help. One of the group members donated $100 in coffee credit to patrons at Ha Coffee shop in Lihu‘e, and on the next day, he did the same thing for patrons looking for poke at Fish Expres in Lihu‘e. Imua Roasters also donated a bunch of coffee to frontline responders.
“That’s what I love,” Emily said. “I saw the responses from the community, and they’re all willing to help each other.”
The information shared on the group wasn’t limited to restaurant services. Emily posted food-safety guidelines. Ron Wiley from Kong Radio shared information on free meals for kids at various schools. Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mark Perriello posted that he partnered with the County of Kaua‘i and Mayor Kawakami to create an online interactive map of restaurants doing take out and delivery.
“It’s just really great that everyone is doing a such a great job sharing resources and information. It’s such a positive environment,” Emily said. “It’s been such a blessing for me to watch all these people come together to help each other; it was more than what I expected.”
Log in at kokeelodge.com/food to order food from Koke‘e Lodge, available for pickup Thursdays in Waimea. Contributed photo
When it comes to a crisis, the community on Kaua‘i always pulls together, she said. We are used to natural disasters here. But this is a different kind of disaster, happening on a global scale, and we are having to fend for our own community. None of us have experienced this before, and everyone is on the same boat trying to figure out what to do, how to survive, she said.
Yet, everyone is looking for ways to stay positive.
“Kaua‘i is such a great community to live in, especially in times like these,” Emily said.
Visit Facebook and search for Kauai Take Out or Delivery Service to join the group.
Discover more from ForKauaiOnline
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply