These are extraordinary times in the foodservice world, with restaurant operators continuing to face strong headwinds brought on by labour shortages, inflation issues and supply challenges. No one has had to push harder against those headwinds than the independent operator.
In support of independent operators during these challenging times, Heinz Ketchup created a program called Heinz Helps. Aimed at providing a much-needed post-pandemic financial boost, Heinz customers from across Canada were given a chance to win $20,000. In order to compete, they needed to rally support from their customers, asking them to vote for their restaurant. The independent operation with the highest votes in their region received the prize money. Heinz Helps awarded $20,000 to five deserving winners (one per region).
Apart from the program’s financial boost to business, the contest brought other benefits to participating restaurants. By rallying customers to vote for their local eateries, contestants deepened the sense of community and the emotional connection with their patrons.
These eateries will each receive a $20,000 business boost from Heinz Helps. We are proud to lend our support and
show our appreciation
to our Heinz Ketchup
customers!
Barb’s Fish and Chips
1st RND (West Edmonton Mall)
Bluebird Café & Grill
Restaurant Snack Shack
The Blunt Bartender
“When I found out we had won, I was really impressed: Our efforts had gotten the attention of our loyal patrons and they had taken the time and energy to help us win this prize, and recognized us as a place that strives to do the best for them, and in turn, they tried to do the best for us by voting. We had so much support from mostly the local community. To have all our customers support us with their vote and make the effort was really heartwarming. When I found out about winning, it wasn't so much about the prize, but the fact that we got it through the loyalty of our customers.”
“Heinz is a well-known name people know and love. I think people appreciate that we strive to provide the best product for them, and that’s why we stick to Heinz.”
“Our first emotion when we won was gratitude. We were so grateful that our guests took the time to vote for us. It was really about them being able to help us. First, grateful, then overwhelmed with joy that our guests did what they did for us.”
“Heinz is a brand that’s known all across Canada. Burgers, fries, ketchup—it’s comfort food all wrapped into one. Having that brand being associated with what we do is awesome. We've been using Heinz since we opened up in 2014.”
“We had guests coming in everyday saying, ‘I voted for you today!’ It was so nice to see because we have such a loyal community. For us, it’s about giving back to the community and we try to find new ways to do that with our products. …[Also,] we want to upgrade a lot of our cooking equipment.”
“We were very, very excited. It meant a lot to us. It does big things for a small business like us. We can get a lot accomplished with that. The employees were excited when we announced. Everybody was joyful!”
“As many Canadians, we've always used Heinz Ketchup as a main condiment. I believe it's the best in value, and best quality that we can offer our customers. We're very happy to be able to serve many Heinz products.”
“I'm so incredibly grateful—I can't believe this really happened. I'm so incredibly blessed to have the staff I have. They worked really hard promoting this. Our customers had a lot of fun voting every day. To see the interaction with my staff and the customers was really wonderful.”
“I always use the best products. Whenever I cook, customers are getting top-quality products and the real thing.”