Celebrity Hospitality figures call upon the public to buy Invisible Chips to support those whose livelihoods are disappearing
As restaurants, pubs, cafes and hotels reopen post lockdown, and life is showing signs of returning to normal, Hospitality Action is launching a quirky and innovative fundraising campaign to harness the UK’s goodwill and affection for the hospitality industry.
0% fat, 100% charity. Invisible Chips are an amusing and engaging way for diners to show their support for the industry which has been so devastated by the impact of Covid-19. Invisible Chips are simple to prepare, take up zero freezer space and never go past their use by date. They are easily available online and in participating venues. The idea is that by ‘chipping in’ the cost of the nation’s favourite side dish, diners will be able to do their bit to support the thousands of hospitality workers who are at risk of their livelihoods disappearing.
For many UK workers in the sector, their place of employment is either already closed, showing no signs of reopening or their position has been made redundant due to a reduced workforce. Official predictions suggest that unemployment will hit 10% by the end of 2020, with the hospitality industry being one of the worst affected.
These hard-hitting and very real statistics have driven Hospitality Action to launch its new fundraising campaign.
Invisible Chips is the most ambitious consumer campaign Hospitality Action has launched to date. Fronted by well-known faces and hospitality heroes Fred Sirieix, Heston Blumenthal and Tom Kerridge. Hospitality Action is asking both owners and customers of restaurants, bars, hotels and takeaways to sell Invisible Chips.
So how does it work? Everybody loves chips! But the variety that Hospitality Action is hoping will now become the nation’s favourite are their new Invisible Chips boasting 0% fat, 100% charity.
HA is asking food outlets to add Invisible Chips to their menu, priced the same as their edible counterpart. Diners are encouraged to add a portion or two of Invisible Chips to their order, with all proceeds going to the charity. The first restaurant group to sign up is BrewDog, serving them for only £3.95 a portion across all of its 52 sites. Steak restaurants Hawksmoor and Gaucho will also be adding them to their menus in the coming weeks. For those less comfortable eating out, but who still wish to donate, Invisible Chips are also available to purchase online.
Mark Lewis, Chief Executive of Hospitality Action said: “I’m incredibly excited to launch the Invisible Chips fundraising campaign and want to thank all of the chefs and restaurateurs who have helped along the way or have already agreed to add Invisible Chips to their menu. Back in March when we launched our Covid-19 Emergency Appeal we knew the hospitality industry was in for a rough ride. Whilst the funds we’ve raised have enabled us to help thousands of people up and down the country, there is still a huge amount of help needed. To anyone who has missed eating out these past few months, I urge you to order a portion of Invisible Chips to help those people we’ve perhaps taken for granted up until now. The hospitality industry is built on resilience and creativity and I’m confident we will recover, however the people within it need a helping hand in the interim.”
James Brown, Retail Director of BrewDog commented: “Covid-19 has had a huge impact on our beloved hospitality industry, whether you a small or large business the disruption and knock on effects will be felt for years. We are delighted to support the Invisible Chips campaign by Hospitality Action and help raise funds to help an industry and community of some three million staff hardest hit by this crisis. We will be stocking invisible chips in all our UK BrewDog bars and Draft House locations for the foreseeable future.”
For any restaurants, bars or food outlets that are keen to take part and want to add Invisible Chips to their menu, go to www.invisiblechips.org.uk to sign up, where you can also order a portion to enjoy at home.
