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Category small businesses   Show all

• Announcing "What's Open Eastside"

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  The City of Sammamish is proud to partner with the cities of Bellevue, Bothell, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Redmond, and Renton on the new map-based tool to support our local businesses, What's Open Eastside. This free application was designed for local businesses to publicize what services they offer, to advertise promotions, to provide updates on operation status, and to share details on how services can be accessed.

  Not only will this app help Sammamish residents see which businesses are providing what level of service as Washington State phases through its Safe Start plans, but it will last well after the COVID crisis has passed as a valuable tool to help our community support each other and shop local.

  Check out the app today to support your neighborhood businesses!

• City of Seattle Launches #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz Map with Sammamish and Partner Cities Across the Region

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  Currently, There Are 2,581 Small Businesses in the #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz Map

  16 Partner Cities and Counties Participating in Relaunched Map

  “Sammamish is excited to be included in this project, as we have some fantastic independently owned restaurants. This tool gives residents another way to support neighbors and businesses during these changing times.” -- Mayor of Sammamish, Karen Moran

  Seattle (April 28, 2020) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the City of Seattle’s new #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map, which helps residents find small businesses providing takeout or delivery in their neighborhood. The map allows users to search for open small businesses in their neighborhood and navigate directly to a business’ website or third-party delivery service page. After launching the Seattle-specific map in late March, municipalities from across the region reached out to the Seattle Department of Information Technology (ITD) and asked to participate. To date, 16 cities and counties are participating in the #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map, and each municipality is working with its local economic development organizations to ensure restaurants are added to the map.

  The #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map has received over 230,000 views, and averages nearly 2,200 visits per day. There are currently 2,600 small businesses in the map spread across King County, Pierce County and Snohomish County. The map began as part of the City’s #SupportSeattleSmallBiz campaign, which asks residents to post pictures and videos from their favorite Seattle restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries that are doing delivery, to-go, and drive-through with #SupportSeattleSmallBiz and tag @SeattleEconomy.

  “At the City, we’re doing everything we can locally to support our small businesses during this unprecedented moment in history,” said Mayor Durkan. “We’ve invested millions of dollars directly in our most vulnerable small businesses and are working with our partners across government and in the private sector help many who are struggling. We have also capped third-party commission fees at 15 percent to ensure takeout and delivery remain viable financial options for our restaurants. With many of our neighborhood restaurants still open, communities across our region can support small businesses by ordering pickup or delivery during this time. I’m grateful to our community partners who helped shape our map and make it a reality.”

  “I am excited to partner and collaborate with other cities across the region in this innovative way in support of our local restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside work to address our shared public health and safety priorities, actions like these help us preserve the character that businesses bring to our communities during this crisis,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.

  To use the map, residents can enter their location or drop a pin and find all the available restaurants near them. Once they select their restaurant, they can place a takeout or delivery order directly through the app or can receive directions to the restaurant. The map also connects users directly to third-party delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Caviar to easily patronize a restaurant. Seattle Information Technology (ITD) built the map, and staff from municipalities across the Puget Sound partnered with community leaders and small business owners to populate the map with businesses. Users can access the map here: Maps.seattle.gov/PugetSound/SupportSmallBiz.

  Restaurant, bar, café, and brewery owners can enter their information into a brief survey to see their business appear on the public-facing map within minutes. To help ensure quality and consistent data, ITD has created an internal map and survey that business owners can use to enter their information. If you are a business owner and want to add yourself to the map, please email at supportsmallbiz@seattle.gov for instructions.

  The necessary statewide ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order has caused restaurants to rely solely on delivery and takeout services for revenue, and many of these restaurants rely on third-party platforms to conduct takeout and delivery for them. Each service agreement between restaurants and third-party companies varies, but some include commissions that are 30 percent or more of the purchase price. To help support restaurants, Mayor Durkan recently announced a 15 percent commission cap on third-party delivery services. This will help ensure that delivery and takeout remain viable options and don’t cause increased financial hardship.

  Mayor Durkan and the City of Seattle have worked to implement a series of actions that support artists, nonprofits, small businesses, and workers, including:

  • Deferring utility payments for customers impacted by COVID-19;
  • Implementing a temporary moratorium on residential, small business, and nonprofit evictions to provide relief for working people financially impacted by COVID-19;
  • Creating temporary restaurant loading zones to facilitate curbside pickup at restaurants;
  • Announcing a small business relief package that included deferred business taxes and a $2.5M stabilization fund;
  • Creating a new Arts Recovery Package to provide immediate financial relief to artists and cultural organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19;
  • Providing 6,250 Seattle families and 1,800 workers with $800 in grocery vouchers;
  • Providing rent relief to tenants of City-owned facilities; and
  • Opening emergency child care classrooms to help hundreds of kids of essential workers;
  • Partnering with United Way of King County and King County to invest $5 million in rental assistance to help families stay in their homes.
  • Building the #SupportSeattleSmallBiz map to help residents find restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries offering takeout or delivery in their neighborhood.

  The City of Seattle has also created a comprehensive resource page for residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

  Sammamish residents can also find resources on the City's Connect Sammamish COVID-19 Updates site.

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