Talking To Your Landlord
On June 23rd, Massachusetts Restaurants United hosted a Town Hall topic: How to Talk to your Landlord, featuring Graffito’s Jesse Baerkahn. This post includes the entire video presentation.
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Update #13: So, Now What?
I invite you to provide feedback to us on what more we can do to reinvent Graffito as a more actively anti-racist organization, where we are missing the mark, if you want to join us in any of this, how we can share best practices, and how we can hold each other accountable in our respective pursuits to make better, more inclusive, more diverse, more equitable, and more valuable urban places.
read moreUpdate #12: Another Pivot
At Graffito, we will not be bystanders anymore. We will reinvent ourselves as related to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion. And of all the “pivots” I’ve been writing about in these updates the past few months, this will be the most important one for us.
read moreUpdate #11: Silver Linings
Last week’s update, I Hope I’m Wrong, was a bit dark for some of you (yes, I’m OK — and yes, I am still, generally, a proud optimist), so this week I’m turning the corner with something a bit more upbeat and hopeful.
read moreDon’t Step On The Lava
There is so much I could write here about Revival (and Liza)(and Nookie), but for now I just want to callout they way in which they repurposed and beautified their patio for pick-up and proper queueing with the help of their favorite local muralist, Chloe Rubenstein.
read moreUpdate #10: I Hope I’m Wrong
And here at Graffito we’ve all embraced a strategy of not bull-shitting each other or our clients. And I guess being a realist right now just feels and looks a lot like being a pessimist.
read moreDrinking Age Rethink
There are many good reasons to rethink the drinking age (and for sure some on the other side too), but top of mind right now is that this move would add legitimate revenue to bars and restaurants, especially in places like Greater Boston.
read moreUpdate #8: Now What?
Any “reopening” of our gathering spaces and retail establishments will be only a partial return to what things looked like pre-coronavirus. But despite this, our spirits are high here at Graffito, because it does feel that we are collectively entering a new phase in responding to this crisis: shifting from panic and shock to problem solving and opportunity assessment.
read moreUpdate #7: Restaurants
Restaurants. No category other than live entertainment has been hit as hard by the COVID-19 fallout. And no category in the retail sector employs as many people nor is as important to the culture of our urban neighborhoods.
read moreA Main Street Resurgence?
We have, and always will, fly the local-first piece proudly in our messaging. Because it is core to our approach, our world-view, and the way we understand value creation in the urban mixed-use context. Today, with COVID-19 related considerations dominating our conversations, decision making, and daily life, we are thinking a lot about how localism will play out in the months and years ahead.
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