Thistle Will Pay West Coast Foodies To Dine Out At Their Favorite Local Restaurants & Food Trucks Between June 1 -30
Thistle, a tech-enabled food and nutrition brand that delivers fully-prepared, plant-forward meals to the doorsteps of its customers, today announced its Thistle Dines Out initiative which aims to support locally-owned restaurants and food trucks getting back on their feet. Throughout the month of June, Thistle will reimburse West Coast-based foodies up to $25 in their Thistle account for skipping the delivery apps, in lieu of dine-in or take-out orders from their favorite local spots. Thistle has committed up to $250,000 to be distributed throughout the month-long initiative to eligible participants.
“The past year has been extraordinarily challenging for all of us on a personal and collective level, and we at Thistle would be remiss not to acknowledge how the restaurant industry has been disproportionately affected,” said Ashwin Cheryian, Co-Founder and CEO of Thistle. “As entrepreneurs and co-founders of a startup, Shiri and I know the challenges of running a small business firsthand, which is why we’re thrilled to rollout the Thistle Dines Out initiative to support other business owners within the food ecosystem. As people begin to safely rejoin communities, we’re ready to do what we can to encourage everyone to get out and support their favorite local spot – on us!”
Thistle Dines Out aims to incentivize people throughout the region to patron their favorite restaurant or food truck in support of local business owners, restaurateurs, kitchen and wait staff. Due to challenges spurred by the pandemic, many beloved spots had to permanently or temporarily close, while others were forced to rely on delivery services that command fees up to 30% per order. As part of the initiative, Thistle will apply a $25 credit to every eligible customers’ account, up to $250,000, after they upload a receipt from a locally-owned restaurant or food truck during the month of June. Thistle Dines Out was created in an effort to boost growth in the local community, restaurant recovery, and ensure that every dollar spent goes back into their business. Thistle Dines Out participants are encouraged to visit in person or call ahead to pick up from their local food spot directly in order to circumvent third party delivery services.
“At our core, we believe in doing the right thing, serving our communities and giving back to each other every day,” said Shiri Avnery, PhD, Co-Founder and COO of Thistle. “As a tech-enabled service, we were fortunate to more easily support customers over the last 12 months, and continue our mission of providing plant-forward, better-for-you and better-for the-planet foods. And with dining out becoming normal again, we’re ready to pay-it-forward. No matter what that first meal out entails, we are thrilled to cheer you on in supporting a local restaurant that you love, while gathering around a table to share a delicious meal.”
To participate, West Coast foodies must show proof of their dining experience via an uploaded receipt on ThistleDinesOut.com between June 1-30. Thistle will credit the cost of the meal up to $25 in every customer’s Thistle account with an overall commitment of $250,000. Given the local nature of this initiative and to ensure every dollar spent goes back to small business owners, receipts from national or global dining chains or any national or local delivery services will not be valid for the redemption.
While no locally-owned restaurants are excluded, participants can click here to get inspiration for their first meal out and also check out some of Team Thistle’s West Coast favorites like Great White, Gossip Grill and Mirisata Sri-Lankan Cuisine! Foodies are encouraged to join the conversation by following @ThistleCo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and tagging #ThistleDinesOut.
Thistle is available for delivery along the West Coast including the San Francisco Bay Area, North Bay, Sacramento, Davis, Los Angeles, San Diego + Orange County, and Las Vegas. Thistle also ships across California and parts of Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.