The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been significant for Australia’s hospitality sector.

With uncertainty looming as to when hotels, cafes, clubs and restaurants will be able to safely resume normal trade, a new initiative hopes to support the sector during these tough times.

South Australian family-winery, Taylors Wines, has partnered with Support Local for #LocalNightIn, which aims to inspire people to support their much-loved local establishments by dining at home through this challenging period.

From today and all throughout the campaign, Taylors Wines and Support Local are calling on all venues across Australia to visit www.localnightin.com.au and fill out the form to provide information about their venue’s at-home dining and drinking options available.

Hundreds of venues have already thrown their support behind the campaign and registered with Support Local, a website dedicated to listing local restaurants who are currently operating and providing food and drink for their community during COVID-19.

The #LocalNightIn campaign will showcase the wide variety of restaurants, hotels, clubs and cafes on the list that are offering special takeaway, pick-up and delivery options to people in their local area.

The list will then be used as part of a consumer-friendly platform for at-home diners to access and learn about the venues in their area that are still open for business.

“While we need to respect social distancing measures, there are still thousands of hotels, cafes, clubs and restaurants that are trying to navigate the new normal and stay afloat in these tough times,” said Taylors Wines third-generation winemaker and managing director Mitchell Taylor.

“Our family were originally hoteliers in the 1950s. It’s difficult to see all these hospitality businesses doing it tough.

“Australia’s restaurants, hotels and clubs are part of our cultural fabric and we want to help as many of these venues through the other side of COVID-19.

“We recognise that many people want to support their local establishments but are unsure of what is open in their area. We want #LocalNightIn to be a go-to hub for national venues to reach diners across the country who are hungry to enjoy a restaurant-quality meal at home.”

To inspire people even further, the campaign will launch a #LocalNightIn Festival, taking place over a number of nights later in May.

The festival will encourage people to support their local venues over a series of nights by purchasing a meal and sharing it on social media using the #LocalNightIn hashtag and tagging the local restaurant in the process.

“We hope by marking it as a special occasion with a dedicated series of events, we can create a bit of connectedness and community while supporting local venues and having a great meal at home, together in isolation,” Taylor said.

The special event will be promoted across digital, social and PR and all venues offering food, wine and beverage takeaway options are encouraged to visit www.localnightin.com.au to share their details or for more information.

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