[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) After 15 months of COVID, the restaurant and hospital industry continue to struggle, but Eastside Restaurant Support and a consortium of 10 Chamber of Commerce are out to change that. Eastside Restaurant Support Week will run from April 19 to April 26, encompassing almost all of eastern King County. Each day has a different theme. To participate, you take a picture of your meal and share it on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, with the hashtag #eastsideeats. A $100 gift card will be given to one person every day during the event.

“This has been quite the time for our local businesses. They have a great attitude, they have adopted to every restriction that has put in front of them for good reason, said Samantha St. John, CEO of the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, “Now it’s time for us to do our part, to really make sure that they don’t go under after they have really stepped up to the plate to keep us safe.”

Typically, restaurant weeks feature specific restaurants with special menus meant to highlight culinary skills and food presentation. “We wanted to do something different than your typical restaurant week,” Angela Rozmyn founder of Eastside Restaurant Support explained. “We haven’t asked [restaurants] for separate menus or discounts. We want you to go out and support them full price, but check out maybe a new restaurant that you’ve never tried before.”

Eastside Restaurant Week has a different theme for every day of the event. Additionally, because this is Ramadan, there is a special category for after sunset and before sunrise. “There’s nothing on the restaurant side that they have to do to participate as a restaurant,” said St. John. “They just need to sit back and watch the customers come in.”

“Just find a local restaurant, take a photo of it, and hashtag #eastsideeats. Put it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and make sure the post is public.”

The event involves the entire eastside from Bothell to Renton, from Duvall to Black Diamond. Participants are asked to get takeout over dining in or delivery if it is possible. King County COVID case numbers continue to increase and organizers don’t want to drop the county back to Phase 2 restrictions.

With the amazing weather we are having this week, Rozmyn added, “It’s beautiful outside right now and things are really starting to look up and be hopeful as far as where we’ve come over the last year with COVID, but things are really tough for our restaurants still.”