![]() ![]() “We had regulars who were so incredibly generous with us that it almost felt like an, ‘Oh my god, this is too much,’ type of thing,” says Kampanets. On Franklin Ave, owners told me, people are quick to rally around their favorite spots. GoFundMe campaigns typically fare better when they’ve built a community of local or online fans. This is common: In normal times, about 27 percent of GoFundMe campaigns hit their goal, according to researchers at the University of Rochester, but that number is likely worse now. Like almost all of its neighbors, Crown Inn only reached about one-third of its goal (crowdfunders can still access their money whether its goal is reached or not). The users I spoke with had only positive experiences on the platform, though other owners have reported difficulties with its strict identity verification system. There still remains a fee of 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per donation to cover payment processing, and donors are given an option to “tip” the company when they contribute to a cause. In 2017, it removed the platform fee, which previously allowed the company to pocket five percent of every donation. GoFundMe may also be the most fundraiser-friendly of the crowdfunding platforms, not only because of its high name recognition. But I felt that if there’s anything we can do to help the people who work behind the bar, we should do that.” ![]() “I did feel a little conflicted about it, because I kept hearing stories about people losing their jobs and it felt a bit strange asking people for money,” Kampanets says. The coronavirus, naturally, was a boon for the platform, which saw its greatest demand since it launched in 2010.Ĭrown Inn launched its own GoFundMe page on March 20, with a $10,000 goal in which all donations would go to bartenders, barbacks, and porters. “The GoFundMe homepage features fundraising pitches that hit virtually every bullet point in the United Nation’s list of basic human rights,” notes a scathing appraisal of the crowdfunding economy in Jacobin magazine. But it often ends up as a depressing reminder of where the American social safety net fails - fundraisers for insurmountable health care bills, for example, are incredibly common. The pandemic fundraising platform of choice, it seemed, was GoFundMe, which like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo is often marketed as a launching pad for startup businesses or charities. “It must be a pretty overwhelming experience, seeing so many places being like, ‘Please help us, please help us’” - especially, she acknowledges, when customers might be facing financial issues as well.Ī post shared by The Crown Inn BK on at 3:29pm PDT “I work in the service industry, and so many of my friends on my Facebook wall were sharing to please donate to staff,” recalls Zhenya Kampanets, co-owner of Crown Inn, a cozy bar on the strip. With no way to pay staff or rent, almost all of them turned to the internet. By March 20, they wouldn’t have to make that choice, as all nonessential businesses were shuttered. Owners faced an impossible choice: Attempt to stay open and risk the health and safety of their employees and customers, or close down, leaving everyone unemployed. Andrew Cuomo ordered nonessential businesses to reduce their in-person staff by 50 percent. Like so many small businesses all over the country, the restaurants of Franklin Avenue were left mostly helpless. Two weeks later, every single one of them was closed. I moved in on the first of March, thrilled to be surrounded by so many places I couldn’t wait to try. If I sound biased it’s because I live there, on the residential street one block away. No weekend morning is complete without a bacon-egg-and-cheese from Bagel Pub (the best in Brooklyn, no offense). For plant-based Ethiopian, there’s Ras, which is a few doors down from Suya, a Nigerian counter joint that makes super spicy steak bowls. 95 South has the best to-go rum punch in the neighborhood. It’s the best: If you want margaritas and Mexican food, you can order a pitcher at a colorfully tiled table outside at Chavela’s. There’s a three-block stretch in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, that contains, by my count, 19 restaurants. ![]()
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