Written by Justin Culetu
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the impractical lockdowns continuing to take their toll on the Californian economy, a myriad of businesses are struggling to stay open and financially stable. Despite following restrictions and guidelines posed by California Governor Newsom for months, restaurants in San Diego have once again been limited to curbside pickup and delivery only. Despite the major problems this creates for restaurants, one owner decided to take advantage of this time to help out those in need.
John Engman, owner of Breakfast Republic and the Rise and Shine Hospitality Group, promises to give out thousands of free comfort food meals to workers and other people impacted by the pandemic. Even though sales are substantially lower than normal and employees have been furloughed, Engman believes that this is the perfect time to show some character and help those in need during the holidays.
The Rise and Shine Group consists of six different restaurant locations in San Diego. They started a non-profit two years ago that received one dollar for every breakfast burrito sold. Using over $52,000 from their non-profit, the group was able to purchase 6,469 meals over the past three months. In addition, the money made from the non-profit has been used to fund other charitable organizations nominated by customers.
Meals are currently being given out from 8 am to 2 pm at Breakfast Republic’s Mission Valley location.
