In an effort to encourage shoppers to support small business owners in their area, the Small Business Administration has announced a partnership with the National Restaurant Association to promote dining at local eateries on Small Business Saturday. To help facilitate this undertaking, the SBA has initiated a social media campaign to get things rolling using the hashtag #DineSmall.

Through this promotion, the SBA wants restaurant owners to share their success stories on social media using the hashtag “#DineSmall.” To carry the reach even further, the SBA has also created a #ShowUsYourMenu campaign, urging eateries to develop a menu reflecting the “#DineSmall While You #ShopSmall” theme. Owners are asked to post their creations on Facebook and other social media sites to highlight the Small Business Saturday event as part of the kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

SBA administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, in an official press release observes, “Local restaurants pack a big punch to our nation’s economy [and] The SBA is proud to partner with the National Restaurant Association to champion this great sector of American small business.”

Just how big a punch does the restaurant industry have? According to Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, “Restaurants provide valuable jobs and careers for more than 13.5 million people…” and “…While the industry is the nation’s second-largest private sector employer, the overwhelming majority of restaurants, more than 90 percent, have fewer than 50 employees.

Financially, this translates into more than $600 billion in annual sales, with an economic impact of close to $2 trillion. Of even greater import, for each dollar spent in a restaurant an additional two dollars in sales for other industries is generated. For Dawn Sweeney and her constituency, “The National Restaurant Association is pleased to join forces with the Small Business Administration to showcase the industry’s critical role in overall small business creation.”

If the #DineSmall While You #ShopSmall is as successful as planned, it should mean a bigger slice of the economic pie for all.

Reference:

“SBA Partners with National Restaurant Association to Boost Dining Out on Small Business Saturday,” November 20, 2014.