Aspen North Dinner Club
Industries experienced a significant , unexpected downfall in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic . The restaurant industry included . According to a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Agency , the restaurant industry was projected to sustain $ 240 billion in losses by the end of 2020 .
Aspen North Members , Adam and Samantha Bradley , wanted to help . " Like many people , we were thinking about ways we could best support restaurants during this challenging season . We wanted to do something bigger than just our family placing carry out orders ," Adam shared . " So , the idea moved to , ' what if we got the whole neighborhood involved ?' That idea was an easy progression because our community is very close-knit , and it ' s common for us to do community-wide initiatives […] So , we jumped in ."
The idea spread through the village after Adam and Samantha posted it to social media . Endearingly named the Aspen North Dinner Club by neighbor , Erin Hajar , the club ' s goal was to order once per week for four weeks in December . Adam and Samantha chose the first restaurant for the first week , White Rabbit . The owners of the restaurant are friends of the Bradley family and residents of Lake Linganore too . Thirty-one families ordered .
Forty-six families ordered the second week from Laurenzos . This restaurant was selected based on a recommendation . " The final two weeks , we put the voting out to the neighborhood , and everyone chose a . k . a . Friscos . Week four , we wanted to switch the menu up , so we listed all the Mexican restaurants , and Plaza Mexico won ," Adam said . Forty-nine families ordered week three , and 35 families ordered the final week .
Restaurants continually expressed their gratitude each week in December , while families that ordered were able to help support a small business ( and perhaps experience a new restaurant while doing so ). While the initial plan was only to order weekly in December , the Aspen North Dinner Club is seizing the momentum and continuing their efforts twice per month at least until restrictions loosen for restaurants .
Since their first order , the dinner club received attention . So much so that the Frederick News-Post featured the club on December 10 , 2020 , and about a dozen communities ( including Members residing in different Lake Linganore villages ) reached out to the Bradleys asking for details on logistics on how they coordinated their efforts . # AspenNorthDinnerClub has even been used by restaurants on their business social media platforms when they ' re working with other communities , even if the actual club did not participate .
One takeaway Adam expressed from the club is noticing the desire people have to help serve . " Between the number of families participating , all the neighbors who offer to meet at our house and assist with delivering , it is clear people want to be a part of something that ' s helping others ," Adam said . Aspen North may be one of Lake Linganore ' s newest villages , but the fellowship amongst neighbors is well established , which is an intangible takeaway in and of itself .
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