We all know the pandemic was a massive catalyst in the acceleration of digital behaviors and that restaurants were forced to adjust accordingly. We also know this adjustment was too big a weight to bear for many small and independent restaurants.
A new nonprofit organization is trying to provide more support, resources and advocacy for restaurant owners and operators as they navigate a new (digital) normal. The Digital Restaurant Association launched today after nearly a year of foundational research. It is the brainchild of Bradley Tusk, a venture capitalist and political strategist who recruited his friend Joe Reinstein to be the DRA’s executive director. The two met while Reinstein was working as the deputy social secretary for the Obama Administration. Notably, Reinstein previously worked in the restaurant industry, including with Taco Bell on the marketing/advertising side. His subsequent experience has been marrying the world of advertising and marketing to the world of digital media, which he calls “fortuitous because that’s the way the world was going.”