When COVID-19 hit hard and Ontario closed down with Stay At Home orders in place to slow the spread, many businesses were negatively impacted. Without the community stepping up to support the little guys, many Londoners were at risk of losing their business, losing their livelihood.
That was why the Santa Sells Houses Team, Managepoint Technologies Inc, Community Mortgage Movement, and Locorum worked together to create the Locorum Local Feast.
The idea was simple: connect with restaurants, breweries, and bakeries throughout London and pair together incredibly delicious dishes and drinks to make an epic feast. A meal from one restaurant, a dessert from a bakery, and a beer from a local brewery were bundled together into one delectable package. Those who wanted to indulge in the deliciousness would place their order to feed either 2 or 4. On the day of, Locorum Local Feast sponsors and organizers would run around to the businesses, gathering every component, putting it all together, and then delivering it all for free to both the consumer and the business owners.
Over the course of 7 weeks, 358 meals were sold and delivered to help the local restaurants. That was almost $10,000 that went to supporting local. There were four main benefits to this:
First, it spread the word. London’s food and drink scene is actually quite extraordinary. We have so many incredible locally owned and operated restaurants and breweries, but many people get stuck going to the same chain restaurants over and over again. The Locorum Local Feast allowed people to try new restaurants and breweries and, hopefully, they became fans! It allowed us to showcase a handful of the great businesses London has to offer.
This was especially important for Sugarbowl Bakery & Sweet Shoppe. Since they just opened in December and then COVID-19 hit shortly after and lockdown started just a few months later; not many Londoners had a chance to hear about them or try out their insanely delicious creations. Those who tried their Extreme Strawberry Cake and Strawberry & Lemon Swirl Cupcakes in the Locorum Local Feast RAVED about their delicious confections. According to Michelle of Sugarbowl, having the opportunity to let people taste her desserts was such a good opportunity, she just thought “why not?!” She couldn’t pass it up, and she hopes that it continues.
Second, it helped the restaurants/breweries. While some restaurants were easily able to switch to take-out, many others were not so lucky to be able to adapt that quickly or painlessly. Some of the restaurants that were part of the Locorum Local Feast were actually closed and opened just for the day to prepare the meals for our feast. For other restaurants, it helped to open up another avenue for revenue.
Third, it saved the consumer money. We wanted to make sure that we were able to make supporting local as cost-effective as possible for people during these crazy times. Not only were we able to bring delicious feasts to you with absolutely zero delivery fee, but because of our sponsors, it was at a hugely discounted price. Michelle from Sugarbowl Bakery said, “You can’t beat that price. We even got one!” The sponsors dedicated their time and money to help feed the forest city. Because of them, we were able to offer free delivery for both the customer and the owner.
Fourth, it promoted the ideology that we’re founded on: supporting local. We spoke with Dave Reed from Forked River, one of the breweries that participated in Locorum Local Feast, about just that. “This is exactly aligned with everything that I’ve been saying for a while now,” he said of Locorum Local Feast. For Dave, he’d love to see more Londoners “buying, drinking, eating, and thinking local.” It’s something that, especially right now, is so important. “It’s keeping your neighbour’s kids fed.” Along with Dave, we’re hoping that this becomes the new normal: where people are choosing to spend money in the community, rather than giving their money to the corporate chains.
What Dave loved about the Locorum Local Feasts is the fact that it ties community businesses together. He loved that his beers were paired with the delicious food from really great restaurants like Hunter and Co and Craft Farmacy. “They’re great people running great businesses”, he said.
Andrew Young of The Modern Mortgage Unlimited Company summed up Locorum Local Feast really well: “It was an opportunity to help out many family-owned restaurants, bakeries and breweries. Community is about coming together to celebrate when things are awesome and to collaborate to help the rest of the community in a time of need. [It] helped boost sales, create exposure and support many independent businesses around London while providing free delivery of these incredible meals to a lot of people that wouldn’t otherwise have access.”
So, what incredible feasts were carefully crafted for Londoners to indulge in? Check out the menus below.
Week 7 – June 24th
Main – The Squire Pub & Grill
Squire Burger and Fries
Drinks – London Brewing Co-operative
London Organic Lager
Dessert – Sugarbowl Bakery & Sweet Shoppe
Strawberry & Lemon Swirl Cupcakes
Week 6 – June 17th
Main – Hunter & Co.
KFC: Korean Fried Chicken & Halloumi Tikka Masala
Drinks – Forked River Brewing Company
Lo-Town American-Style Lager
Dessert – Hunter & Co.
A Brownie and a Blondie
Week 5 – June 10th
Main – Eat O.A.
Blackened Lake Erie Perch on Rent Flint Corn Maque Choux with Chipotle Remoulade and Corn Crumble
Drinks – Anderson Craft Ales
Cream Ale
Dessert – Whole Grain Hearth
Sourdonut with a house-made Strawberry-Rhubarb Jelly and a Sprinkle-Dip Donut
Week 4 – June 3rd
Main – Craft Farmacy
Porchetta with Spicy Organo Pan Jus, Grilled Local Asparagus, Heirloom Tomato and Feta Salad
Drinks – Forked River Brewing Company
Lo-Town American-Style Lager
Dessert – Sugarbowl Bakery & Sweet Shoppe
Extreme Strawberry Cake
Week 3 – May 27th
Main – Taverna 13Thirty One
Sous Vide & Roasted Pork Loin, Creamy Polenta, Mushroom and Sage Rago
Drinks – Forked River Brewing Company
Lo-Town American-Style Lager
Desert – Nova Era
Pasteis De Nata (Protugese Custard Tart)
Week 2 – May 20th
Main – Abruzzi
Housemade Casarecce with Braised Beef Brisket, Braising Ju, and Pecorino Cheese
Drinks – Anderson Craft Ales
Anderson Cream Ale
Dessert – Helm Baked
Gluten-Free Brownies
Week 1 – May 5th
Main – Dos Tacos
Cali Chicken Rice Bowl with Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad
Drinks – Dos Tacos
Jarritos
Dessert – The Fritter Shop
Apple, Blueberry, and Lemon Fritters
Mouth watering yet? They were some pretty legendary feasts, to be sure. You could have indulged in these epic meals by purchasing them at www.shop.locorum.ca.
So why is supporting local important? It promotes a healthy and thriving economy in London. The money you spend is going to Londoners who bank and spend here, which helps to continue to stimulate the local economy. Whereas shopping and dining with chain stores take the profits outside of the city to then be spent and banked in other parts of the world.
Supporting local is also better for the environment! Local businesses leave a smaller ecological footprint with less transportation and packaging needed as the products are made and distributed right within this city and the surrounding areas. Supporting local also encourages a strong community within this city as local businesses tend to support each other, partner together, and use each other’s products. Local businesses also tend to train their employees better and provide a more positive working experience. Also, because a small business relies on word of mouth and repeat customers to survive, you get much better customer service at a local joint. Lastly, when you’re supporting a local business you’re helping someone achieve their dream, which is pretty darn incredible when you stop and think about it.
At Locorum, we get it. It’s why we exist in the first place. Our entire mission is local supporting local. Locorum is everything that the Forest City has to offer under one virtual roof: a curated marketplace for your favourite local small businesses and information on everything you love about your community in one place. We’re all about businesses helping each other out and keeping Londoners informed about everything this amazing city has to offer.
Through Shop Locorum we’re connecting Londoners with all of the amazing things local businesses have to offer in one easy-peasy one-stop-shop. Through Locorum Rewards, we’re rewarding Londoners for partnering with Locorum local professionals by giving them up to $1,500 to then spend on their favourite local business. And through it all, Londoners and this beautiful city can thrive.