On March 17, 2020, the Province of Ontario declared a State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The gradual implementation of restrictions was felt by business owners across the GTA, but the effects of the lockdown were most immediately felt by the restaurant industry when doors were closed for in-person dining. The Department of Management at the 澳门六合彩开奖接口 (UTSC) contacted the office of Toronto City Councillor Jennifer McKelvie of Ward 25 to identify opportunities for collaboration; recognizing a potential need for support and having capacity and resources to help through its innovation platform, The BRIDGE.
As a result, a Partnership was formed between the University, the City of Toronto, and the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts at Centennial College, with the aim to connect local, independent restaurants with a system of supports that were curated for struggling restaurant businesses in Scarborough.
As an oncampus business accelerator and a student-lead entrepreneurship promoter, the BRIDGE was uniquely positioned to fill this lacuna of support for local Scarborough restaurants, which suffered heavily from rolling lockdowns, restricted capacity rules, supply chain issues, and limited online presence. The Scarborough Restaurant Recovery Project (SRRP) began with a goal of assisting restaurants in activating a number of resources through the Digital Mainstreet initiative.
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