Your Favourite Cafe or Restaurant Could Win $10k Thanks to the New Nationwide 'Hospo Red Relief' Initiative

After an immensely tough couple of years for Aotearoa's hospitality scene, some of the industry's largest suppliers have come together to offer one Kiwi hospo business some relief at red.

Kōkako Coffee, All Good, La Marzocco, Karma Drinks, Innocent Packaging, Almighty and Acme Cups have pooled their resources to create Hospo Red Relief, an initiative to support cafés and restaurants as they continue to struggle under the red in the country's COVID-19 protection traffic light framework.

One hardworking hospo spot chosen by the people of New Zealand will get a cheque for $10,000 to help offset some of the cost of the pandemic. If you have a favourite cafe or restaurants who's been been doing it tough, you can nominate them by uploading a photo of your purchase, meal or the spot itself.

Maybe you've had a particularly stunning croissant on a recent sojourn to Daily Bread, Little French Café or Amano. Maybe you want to show off your incredible curry from a BYO at Tiffin or Joy Bong. Or perhaps you just want to give thanks to the angels who make your daily flat white for you. Seriously, where would we be without them?

If you're a little anxious about dining in at the moment, that's totally fine too. You can nominate your favourite spot by posting a pic of a takeaway or buying something online — Hospo Red Relief organisers told Concrete Playground "this isn't a photography contest".

The winner will be drawn on March 7, so get out and about to start supporting your favourite hospitality businesses this week.

It's a welcome bit of positive news among a slew of sad closures from some city stalwarts announced recently — Crumb, Tommy Millions, Xuxu and Saan will all leave a big hole in our country's dining scene (and our hearts).

Of course, the suppliers of these cafes and restaurants haven't been doing it easy either. But Mike Murphy from Kōkako says they've recognised where the need is most dire.

"Even though it's been a challenging trading environment for us, we recognised the urgent need to help our hospitality sector – they are really suffering," he said.

"By bringing together other like-minded brands, we hope our collective efforts will make a tangible impact in terms of sales for restaurants and cafes who need public support. This is an industry that we are passionate about and without them, we'd be nowhere."

You can nominate your favourite hospitality business by uploading an image of a purchase, meal or the businesses itself to hosporedrelief.co.nz. The winner will be drawn on March 7.