When my friend Sadie told me about this project #EatDownTipUp, a friend of hers (Patrick Evans) was helping to create, I of course said “yes” to helping out, even in the midst of dealing with a 95 year old grandmother who is living out her last days in my home, I needed something to get me out of my own head and grief.  What is #EatDownTipUp you ask?  It’s a brilliant idea put together by a group of creatives (see list at end of this post) to help the New York Restaurant community and it’s workers hit by Hurricane Sandy– It’s simple:

1. Eat downtown
2. Tip Double
3. Post a photo of your bill here and tag it #EatDownTipUp on all social media

Since I don’t live in New York or the surrounding area, I figured I would leverage my social media contacts to help out. Armed with the hashtag #EatDownTipUp & #DineOutNYC, I went about reaching out to friends in New York, as well as prominent individuals in the press/social media and some of today’s big movers and shakers across the digital landscape.  I had so many friends  personally impacted by the storm and I wanted to help! And what better way to do so than to leverage my social media contacts.

How did #EatDownTipUp get started you ask?  Anthony Bourdain is actually to thank! He tweeted out:

Here is a link to yesterday’s Bordain’s article on CNN’s Eatocracy, Bourdain’s new home since leaving the Travel Channel.  I totally agree with Bourdain’s statement “They are not just in the ¬Å“pleasure business¬Â of making people happy, but in the nurturing business. At the end of the day, the restaurant¬â„¢s job is to feed people. And that¬â„¢s something they have done throughout every crisis.”  And as President Obama stated in his acceptance speech last night “It’s about what can be done by us not for us.”  Now its our turn to help!

In approximately a few days a Tumblr page went up, along with Facebook & a website! The hashtage #EatDownTipUp picked up steam in conjunction with #dineoutNYC.  Check out these stats as of yesterday morning, as well as a small subsection of RT’s:

For people who say community has fallen by the way side and that social media isn’t measurable, here is proof that both are alive and kicking and can provide a tremendous tool for getting the word out and supporting a cause (As of this morning per HashTracking.com 181 tweets generated 539,003 impressions, reaching an additional audience of 241,247 followers within the past 24 hours – Since Sunday night that’s over 2 million)!  Head over to the website to read stories from restaurant owners – It’s inspiring!

Pete Wells, restaurant critic for the New York Times wrote an article Tuesday on “Why Downtown Needs Diners Now.” Wells impresses upon us just how serious the impact is in his statement “This is a big hit for businesses that get by on small margins, and for workers who are often paid by the hour.  A few places may not survive.  All will struggle.”  

More on #DineOutNYC:

#DineoutNYC is a movement to motivate people to dine out in restaurants throughout NYC in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. This movement helps restaurant operators and their employees get back to work and helps diners learn about where to dine out in New York City. Getting involved is easy. Using #dineoutNYC allows diners to be part of a movement to support restaurants throughout the boroughs.  People are directed to our website, dineoutNYC.org, Facebook page (facebook.com/dineoutNYC), and Twitter account (@dineoutNYC).  All are invited to join the conversation, using the #dineoutNYC hashtag.

More on #EatDownTipUp:

#EatDownTipUp is brought to you & “made with an unwavering love for NYC” by: @paullyoung, @brycetom, @meghankathleen, @carlablumenthal, @af, @ninanyc, @maxwellzorick, @joshuabamboo, @abenzion, @evanspatrick +others

Thank you for letting me a part of this wonderful social movement and also everyone who’s sent a tweet, a RT (re-tweet) and dined out in NYC (#DineOutNYC) and left a big sweet ass tip for their server for #EatDownTipUp! Every tweet, RT and tip counts!  Stay tuned as I’m working on a list of gluten-free restaurants in downtown New York that have reopened which will be out later today or early tomorrow morning.

Remember as many are still those without the basics food, shelter and power.  You can also donate to the American Red Cross to help New Yorker & New Jersey whom have been hit the hardest by Hurricane Sandy.