Across the United States today, restaurants closed for the "A Day Without Immigrants" protest, a strike among U.S. immigrants in response to President Trump's immigration policies. In D.C., Washingtonian reports that about 76 restaurants either closed or partially closed today.
The strike is just one of the many protest efforts that have sprung up around the metro area in response to the Trump administration, including the Women's March on Washington and the #NoBanNoWall rallies.
With many of D.C.'s food delivery apps depending on the support of local restaurants to make deliveries, DC Inno reached out to some of the area's services to see where they stand on today's strike and closures—
Plum Relish:
D.C.-based Plum Relish came to the area's meal delivery scene in May 2016. Aimed at office workers, the platform lets people sign up for different days each week they want their lunch delivered, and users can pick from three different meal options each day. Founder Sarah Van Dell said the system doesn't do day-of or on-demand deliveries, so business might not be impacted; however, she's in support of the day's strike.
"For the food community, and for those that enjoy dining in DC, ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ strike sheds light on one of the most important economic, labor, and social issues of today. A rising tide lifts all ships; immigrants are as essential to the food business as they are to our society. This strike is the start of a broader effort to educate consumers on how what they eat is tied to our current politics, if anything. It’s time to look beyond the plate.
As a startup business, Plum Relish is doing our best to honor the lead of Jose Andres and many other culinary leaders. As soon as the strike was announced, we said no to any new lunches; our business is confirmed weeks ahead of time, so we honored those few clients. As it turns out, Friday has become our busiest day. Not a coincidence."
GrubHub:
GrubHub is a staple in food delivery apps in the D.C. metro area and nationally, with service in over 1,100 U.S. cities and abroad in London. The service provides on-demand home delivery through contractors for various restaurants in the area. A spokesperson said the following:
"We respect the rights of our restaurant partners who choose to take part in the protest, and our teams are working around the clock to ensure diners are presented with the most up-to-date information."
DoorDash:
DoorDash launched its D.C. operations in March 2015. The service provides delivery for restaurants that don't currently have home delivery. DoorDash's head of communications Eitan Bencuya said the following:
"As a company founded by immigrants and that counts immigrants among our employees, Dashers, merchants and customers, we've been quite outspoken on this issue. Our CEO tweeted out a statement a couple weeks ago and published an op-ed in Fortune Magazine on the importance of visas for highly skilled workers. We also posted a resource guide for Dashers and restaurants impacted by the latest immigration measures and we signed on to the amicus brief in the Washington case.
We'll continue to offer deliveries in DC (Thursday) in order to best serve the customers, Dashers and restaurants that depend on the platform on a daily basis. However, we'll be monitoring the situation closely throughout the day."
Caviar
Caviar launched its D.C. operations in April 2014, and the service also provides deliveries for a list of restaurants that do not provide home delivery themselves. A Caviar spokesperson sent this statement:
"Customers may see limited restaurant selection and encounter delivery delays as a result of today's strike. We stand with our restaurant partners and couriers in acknowledging the important role immigrants play in our economy."
Image used via CC0 Public Domain — credit Stokpic
