--- Join Adam Liaw on an inspiring journey to highlight Australia's bushfire-affected food producers on Wednesdays 8.30pm on SBS Food and SBS On Demand. ---
There are plenty of simple yet effective ways that people can support regional Australian businesses, especially those impacted by the 2019-2020 'Black Summer' bushfires. One way is by taking a road trip, whether it's for a day or a week. Here's how you can maximise positive impact on your next adventure.
Aim to spread the love as far and wide as you can
Zoë Manderson, founder of mapping software company Alpaca, set up the 'Road Trip for Good' website in January this year to aid businesses affected by the bushfires. It allows users to discover regional businesses and create their own road-trip itineraries.
"Like many, I was trying to think about how to do my bit beyond donating money,” says Manderson. "And I thought 'surely, I can use my skills and our [Alpaca's] technology to do something'.
"We knew people weren't only going to need financial support. We already had the technology, so we were able to get the Road Trip for Good website up in 24 hours."
Manderson's advice for your road trip for good is to try to interact with as many businesses as possible. Her website helps you to find places you may not be aware of so that you can incorporate them into your journey. Try and push yourself to go to more underrated venues too, which will help increase their chance of making it through these tricky times. You may be pleasantly surprised and come across an absolute gem in the process.
She also recommends staying at a few places.
"Whenever we've done a road trip, we've always stayed at multiple places. Even if we're visiting one area for five nights, we'll stay one or two nights at one place and then move to another, spreading that accommodation dollar a bit further," she says.
Buy your food and drink locally
You don't have to pack lunch if you're only going for a day.
"One tip I have is to either have a picnic lunch or a pre-dinner with locally bought produce," says Manderson.
Pick up some wine or beer from one business, a salad from another, cheese from a dairy and bread from a local bakery. Find a spot with a stunning view and enjoy all of the fresh delicacies that you just picked up.
This is a great way to learn about different businesses and financially benefit as many as possible.
Use the almighty word of mouth
Emily Ng, the manager of her parents' restaurant Raymond's at Malua Bay in the South Coast region of NSW, tells SBS Food, "A lot of us small businesses run off word of mouth and really don't invest huge funds in advertising campaigns."
The Chinese restaurant had completed a renovation in time for 2020 New Year's Day. The fires hit Raymond's on New Year's Eve.
The family rebuilt throughout 2020 at a location just down the road. Emily's dad, the co-owner of Raymond's, was not interested in retiring or moving the restaurant to another part of NSW. His connection to the community is too strong and word of mouth on the South Coast has been the backbone of his business for over 30 years.
The support from our local community has been next level.
"Opening a restaurant in these unprecedented times was definitely an ambitious and risky call. But it's been amazing, the support from our local community has been next level. In the initial first four weeks after reopening, we were booked out every single night six days a week," says Ng.
But beyond summer, businesses need sustained support as opposed to the rush post-eased restrictions. "We missed out last summer and we really need your support to help revive our community. Visit places, book a table, spend locally and tell your friends and family about it," adds Ng.
Leave an online review about positive experiences
The world of online reviews can be relentless and all too often people leave negative reviews and don't post their positive experiences. So, if you're a fan of a business, site or natural wonder, take the time to leave your impressions on your platform of choice, whether it's Google, TripAdvisor, The Fork or another.
This also helps small businesses understand what their customers like. And it's a morale boost, which everyone could do with right now.
Stay connected
A key way you can support businesses without necessarily delving into your pockets is by giving them online support. Follow them on social media and engage with their posts.
Even signing up to a mailing list makes a significant difference. Further, if you keep up with a business' developments, you may receive promotions, get gift ideas or learn about future events that may prompt your return.
