Jackson launches Restaurant Week to help businesses recover after gas outage

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

JACKSON, Mo. (KBSI) — Jackson restaurants are getting a boost this week as the community rallies to support local businesses following last week’s gas outage.

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce launched “Jackson Restaurant Week” to help restaurants recover after the outage disrupted operations across the city. Some businesses closed temporarily while others limited service.

Chamber leaders say the event caused major financial losses for several restaurant owners.

“One of the things we want to do at the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce is support our business and support our restaurants who have been drastically affected by the utility outage,” said Brian Gerau, CEO of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gerau said some restaurants lost significant revenue during the outage.

“The financial impact is tens of thousands of dollars just for one business owner,” Gerau said.

The Chamber created Restaurant Week to bring customers back through business doors and help regain momentum.

Each day this week, the Chamber highlights a different type of cuisine on its Facebook page.

Chamber leaders go live on Facebook each day at 11 a.m. to announce the daily theme and encourage people to visit participating restaurants.

Customers can also take photos of their meals and share them online. Those posts enter community members into a random giveaway at the end of the week.

Gerau said the promotion aims to rebuild business after a difficult week for many restaurant owners.

“Our goal, of course, outside of kind of having some fun, is to draw as many people as we can to our local restaurants because over the last week the attendance was really affected,” Gerau said.

Gerau said local support can make a big difference for businesses that rely on steady customer traffic.

“Anytime that you can shop local, it is really important. Every dollar counts in our community,” Gerau said.

He said those dollars circulate back into Jackson through jobs, retail activity and sales tax revenue that supports city services.

Gerau said residents can help by dining out, ordering takeout, buying gift cards or sharing restaurant posts on social media.

“We want our businesses to be fruitful and vital here in Jackson, Missouri,” Gerau said. “So anything our community can do to get in those doors and support those restaurants, we’re going to do it.”

The Chamber encourages residents to follow its Facebook page throughout the week to see the daily featured cuisine and giveaway details.