Dunwoody campaign urges residents to bring back lunch rush by eating local
With many restaurants struggling to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic, Dunwoody’s mayor is focusing on the bread and butter of many eateries: the lunch rush.
A sizable portion of people are still working from home, so Mayor Lynn Deutsch launched the “Let’s Do Lunch” campaign to encourage residents to eat local. The campaign’s mission is to try to increase the demand for lunch in Dunwoody and send customers to restaurants that rely on busy noontime bumps.
Dunwoody was among a handful of cities to temporarily ban indoor dining in March — shortly before Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statewide shutdown that lasted most of April.
While indoor dining has reopened and takeout is common, many restaurants are still struggling to attract the same number of customers that they did pre-pandemic.
The campaign hopes to gain grassroots support on social media with the hashtags #LetsdoLunch and #Dunwoody. In a Facebook post, Deutsch said she wouldn’t complain if the campaign gets more people to eat the occasional breakfast or dinner out as well.
The city also recently encouraged restaurants to add outdoor seating with a project distributing painted picnic tables in hopes of encouraging citizens to eat their meals outside to further social distancing.
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
