Supporting Clients and Community During the COVID-19 Crisis
We’re honored to support our community and our clients who are working to protect those in need during the pandemic.
Coronavirus has changed the world, and many businesses have been forced to adapt.
We’re working with small businesses like Señor Sisig to fight back against the pandemic and secure our community’s future. Read the full story below.
Supporting Clients and Community During the COVID-19 Crisis
When COVID hit, Señor Sisig – one of the Bay’s best-known brands – approached an existential crossroads. CEO Evan Kidera says there were no doubts about keeping everyone employed, and no concerns about Señor Sisig stepping in to protect their community during the crisis. The only question was how to do it.
“We weren’t going to lay anyone off. We knew we were in a crisis, and that there were so many people in need – not just our own staff, who we see as family. We also knew that there was another population who wanted to help, by donating time or money. That’s where we connected with Plinth and Desi – who said they’d help us design a campaign for free,” Evan said.
“I had a conversation with Evan about a campaign I was developing to help some of the Filipino food businesses in my network called #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines, and he said that he had a desire to do something similar. I showed him our work and shared the custom code required to tally-up sales like a crowdfunding page. Then we brainstormed campaign names, settling on #Sisig4thePeople – short, concise and on-brand,” Desi said.
Head Chef at Señor Sisig Gil Payumo prepares boxed meals for delivery.
With the campaign online, Señor Sisig carried its massive brand loyalty into the new world of COVID-19, pivoting around its existing neighborhood networks to create a floor-to-ceiling meal delivery arm of its operations – with the help of key community-based organizations like The City Eats for S4TP, who are helping fundraise, distribute and grow the base of consumers. Every week, hundreds of people across San Francisco receive lovingly-crafted food exclusive to the #Sisig4thePeople menu – safely delivered to their front door by volunteers. These meals have quickly become a fixture in people’s lives, and something Evan sees as an important part of his business’ future.
“Giving back has always been a part of our mission, but now we’ve really increased our focus on that part of what we do. We have now established so many lines around serving in-need populations, and we’ve seen how Señor Sisig can be a powerful conduit for people to funnel their resources so our communities can thrive,” he said.
“We knew we had the ability to make the connections deeper into the community and spread our resources around. #Sisig4thePeople has raised about 37K to date. There’s no reason we can’t do this forever and make it a core part of the way we do business going forward, because even when things return to so-called “normal”, we know there’s always going to be that need.”
Evan Kidera says the sense of community in San Francisco has strengthened around the response to COVID-19.
At its heart, #Sisig4thePeople reflects the values of two small businesses – Señor Sisig and Plinth Agency – which in turn reflect the quality of their relationship and the kinds of communities they build together, both as businesses and as members of those communities.
“It’s all about keeping everyone one afloat. We helped Señor Sisig launch this campaign because we believe that doing the right thing by people is simply good business,” Desi said.
“Plinth has always been able to bring together a sense of community with a business-oriented mindset. That’s what’s made them such a great ally over the years,” Evan said.