NEWBURYPORT – The proprietor of The Park Lunch restaurant thanks the founding father of digital media firm Barstool Sports activities for serving to him overcome the COVID-19 pandemic with a beneficiant reward.
Though Dan Wilmot’s Merrimac Road restaurant has been a favourite of generations of locals, the pandemic and the restrictions that accompany it have grow to be the most important problem the 86-year-old firm has ever confronted.
“We have actually slowed down,” Wilmot stated. “Proper now, we’re solely open at 25%. That is what the state restricted us to about two weeks in the past and it actually hurts. We have been additionally unable to promote alcohol from March to the top of June.”
Though Wilmot was in a position to get a federal mortgage from the Paycheck Safety Program within the spring, that was the one assist The Park Lunch obtained from exterior sources, till the top of final month.
Dave Portnoy is the founding father of the sports activities and popular culture weblog Barstool Sports activities. The New York resident made what he referred to as a “rant” video in regards to the state and federal closures that affected and even killed small companies, eating places and bars in mid-December.
Portnoy’s video rapidly went viral, however he wasn’t content material to complain about the issue. Portnoy, a local of Swampscott, put $ 500,000 of his personal cash at stake to create the Barstool Fund, which provides cash to assist small companies climate the pandemic.
“We’ll attempt to assist as many firms as we will,” he stated. “Whether or not it is lease aid, tax aid, or paying your staff, no matter it’s.”
Portnoy stated he partnered with the nonprofit 30 Day Fund, reached out to his Barstool readers, and rapidly raised between $ 17 million and $ 18 million.
Small enterprise house owners can full an software at www.Barstoolfund.com, the place donations are additionally obtained. Wilmot thought he would give the fund a shot and requested for $ 15,000 in help for the month of January.
He utilized, despatched a video on Tuesday, December 29, and was on a video name with Portnoy the following day.
“We requested for $ 15,000 and we bought it,” Wilmot stated. “That is ongoing too. He stated they’re going to assist us if we want it subsequent month. They will give it to us once more. Subsequent month? They will give it yet one more time. That is what makes the Barstool providing so nice.”
In response to Portnoy, any small enterprise proprietor who can display that they’ve run a enterprise efficiently earlier than the pandemic can apply for assist, which may proceed, if wanted.
“If we give Dan cash for a month and this does not go away in three months, he may very well be in the identical state of affairs once more,” Portnoy stated.
In response to Portnoy, The Park Lunch, which Wilmot says employs almost 30 individuals, speaks to what Barstool Sports activities “actually is”.
“He sort of benefited from the truth that I am a neighborhood man,” Portnoy stated. “It is a sports activities bar. It seems tremendous practical and has all of the sports activities memorabilia on the wall. So, he spoke to me fairly rapidly.”
Portnoy stated that the success of the Barstool Fund can solely be attributed to its donors.
“Now we have additionally been the primary to place a face on small companies and what’s occurring,” he stated. “If you cannot open your doorways and run your small business, and nobody is supplying you with cash and you continue to get your tax invoice and your fuel invoice, you possibly can’t assist your self. That is simply frequent sense and everybody is aware of it.”
Portnoy has reached out to the profitable small companies and stated their house owners are visibly relieved when he takes a video name with them.
“You possibly can see the burden, the debt, the stress simply took off,” Portnoy stated. “A lot of them are breaking down. It’s unhappy that we’re on this state of affairs.”
Author Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Day by day Information. He might be reached by e-mail at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by telephone at 978-961-3145. Comply with him on Twitter @ndnsully.
“We’ll attempt to assist as many firms as we will. Be it lease aid, tax aid, or paying your staff, no matter that’s.”
Dave Portnoy, Founding father of Barstool Sports activities
