San Antonio businesses asking patrons to buy gift cards while they are closed during pandemic
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With COVID-19 closing bars and restaurants, those in the San Antonio service industry are out of work for the time being and many establishments have started asking patrons to buy gift cards for their businesses to use once everything is opened again.
With COVID-19 closing bars and restaurants, those in the San Antonio service industry are out of work for the time being and many establishments have started asking patrons to buy gift cards for their
Photo: Courtesy
With COVID-19 closing bars and restaurants, those in the San Antonio service industry are out of work for the time being and many establishments have started asking patrons to buy gift cards for their businesses to use once everything is opened again.
With COVID-19 closing bars and restaurants, those in the San Antonio service industry are out of work for the time being and many establishments have started asking patrons to buy gift cards for their
Photo: Courtesy
Many establishments forced to temporarily close during the stay-at-home order are encouraging patrons to buy gift cards from their favorite businesses to use when they reopen.
For many places, the hope is that if people buy the gift cards now, it will help supplement lost income for employees and help keep businesses afloat.
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The Green Lantern, a North Side bar, is one of many in the city that has felt the strain of having to shut down. When their doors closed, many people lost their only source of income with no clear answer as to when they will open again.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions when we had to shut down,” said Riamond Cordero, a bartender at Green Lantern. “We just looked at each other and it was like ‘Wow, we just lost our jobs, what are we going to do?'”
So, Cordero and the bar’s owner created gift vouchers for patrons to buy, with 100 percent of the money going back to the staff.
“We wanted to do something where people got something back,” Cordero said. “We didn’t want to just ask for donations because we know that isn’t easy right now to just be giving away money. So, this is something that everyone benefits from and then it’s like a promise that you come back and see us when we are open again.”
READ ALSO: S.A. stay-at-home order: What you can and can’t do
“It has been crazy. People have been amazing; we have raised so much money for our staff already,” she added. “It is ridiculous how much people care.”
The Green Lantern is doing a unique gift card system in which patrons can buy a $25, $50 or $100 voucher, and each tier gets them a different amount of drinks. Because the bar, unlike other businesses, can’t do to-go orders, customers can buy the vouchers from their Facebook page.
Other businesses like The Rustic and the Copa Wine Bar have been offering gift cards with food purchase to spend once the establishments fully open. Many salons, barbershops and local businesses are are also asking the public to buy gift cards.
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