Slapfish in Huntington Beach has launched the Community Burger, a new half-pound cheeseburger that is free in exchange for any size donation to the restaurant’s 86 Restaurant Struggle fund. Slapfish owners Andrew and Lauren Gruel created the GoFundMe last month to assist unemployed restaurant workers nationwide and have already given out more than $300,000 to help struggling workers make ends meet.
Partnering with Slapfish to support the cause is industry veteran Craig Nickloff, founder of Claim Jumper and current owner of West Coast Prime Meats, who is donating all Prime Grade meat for the Community Burger. The burger is ½ lb. (in two patties) of freshly ground meat smothered in Slapfish signature burger sauce and packed into a potato roll.
Gruel has filed a 501(c)3 application to establish 86 Restaurant Struggle, a non-profit organization that will continue to provide funds to struggling restaurant industry employees who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19. The organization was named after the expression 86 meaning to remove or eliminate, the financial struggle that unemployed restaurant workers are experiencing.
“It’s been nearly a year since restaurants across the country had to shut down due to Coronavirus, and hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers are financially struggling,” said Andrew Gruel. “Given the lack of government relief, I thought creating a fundraiser would be a positive, free market avenue through which we can help one another and bridge the gap for those who have exhausted their savings or have no other financial safety net.”
Those seeking assistance should apply through the 86 Restaurant Struggle website. Every application is vetted, with former employers contacted to verify the applicant’s status of unemployment or drastically reduced hours. Gruel is not using any of the funds for Slapfish or its own employees.
Slapfish is a fast-casual restaurant offering a chef-driven menu of fresh, high quality, and sustainable seafood.
Slapfish is located at 19696 Beach Blvd., in Huntington Beach.
