Voices of San Diego Beer: Travis Hudson

We are living in strange times casting new shading on our normal way of life, including special occasions built on traditions that, for reasons beyond our control, will have to be adjusted or abandoned this year. There may be less togetherness and a host of items missing or diminished this holiday season, but COVID-19 can’t erase the warmth, caring and generosity of spirit that makes this such a cherished time of year. As we read ourselves for Thanksgiving, it’s a perfect time to share a guest article from someone many know from the San Diego beer scene. His name is Travis Hudson and he has served in various roles within the county’s once-thriving hospitality industry, a sector that has been hit hard by the pandemic and its associated restrictions. Read on as he shares information about a non-profit that is lending support to restaurant, bar and taproom employees who can use a hand during (and beyond) the holidays…

Home to around 7,000 restaurants, bars and service venues, including world-class brewery taprooms, San Diego’s hospitality sector is a major provider of employment opportunities, whether full-time or as a side hustle, rivaled only by the military. Prior to the pandemic, there were nearly 194,000 people working in San Diego’s hospitality industry. When COVID-19 hit, it devastated the service industry. Measures and restrictions were put in place which closed or negatively impacted restaurants and other hospitality businesses, equating to lost revenue and lost jobs across the county. At the peak of the pandemic, 7.5 million hospitality jobs were lost nationwide.

For those who have lost their jobs, the resources to help stay afloat have been neither plentiful nor reliable. The unemployment stimulus payments helped for a short time, but then changed, leaving many searching for new ideas. Financial aid resources have been either scarce or underfunded, but there’s a lesser-known but consequential non-profit called Big Table San Diego that has led a charge to change that for hospitality workers in need.

Working on a referral basis, Big Table assists by issuing grants to unemployed workers ranging from $250 to $500 depending on the size of beneficiaries’ households. When the organization launched in San Diego last year, it received 22 referrals to assist hospitality workers in crisis, leading to contributions of $3,500 which were used to pay for expenses such as rent, groceries, medical and dental bills. This year, Big Table’s level of care has increased dramatically. Nearly 600 individuals have received more than $160,000 in grants, and nearly all of that assistance has come during the pandemic.

When Bit Table launched in the Pacific Northwest in 2009, there wasn’t a single non-profit in the U.S.—out of more than 1.5 million non-profits with 501(c)3 standing—focused on the country’s largest industry, despite its incredibly high susceptibility to financial downturns and crises. Currently, Big Table remains the only non-profit in the nation equipped to both meet immediate needs of workers in crisis and provide ongoing coaching and mentoring. Big Table also has a smaller scale outreach initiative wherein they send envelopes people may fill with cash to present to service-industry workers when patronizing hospitality venues.

“To deliver care, we pay bills directly rather than cutting checks to our care recipients,” says Big Table’s San Diego Director, Jesse Vigil. “In addition to grants, we focus on the relational aspect of care in San Diego, assisting those in crisis in the restaurant and hospitality industry by providing both immediate help and longer-term mentoring and support.”

On a personal note, I was laid off from three beverage-industry jobs after the pandemic hit. Months later, when I reached out to Big Table to see how I could help spread the word about their philanthropy, I was offered a small token of the aid they provide, even though that wasn’t my goal in contacting them. Often, people are reluctant to accept assistance or admit they’re in a place where they need help. The referral nature of the Big Table program removes that reluctance from the equation, making it easier to lend a hand to the many who can use one, especially during these unprecedentedly challenging times.

San Diego’s brewing and beverage community is known for collaboration and a help-thy-neighbor attitude. It’s promising to see grassroots programs like Big Table expand on the respect, camaraderie and empathy that runs though this industry like IPAs through taps at bars and restaurants that will hopefully be once more staffed at full capacity sooner than later. Until then, please consider supporting the work of Big Table San Diego.

To provide Big Table with a referral for a hospitality worker who has lost their job and is struggling to make ends meet, visit their referral page. Interested parties can also find out how to get involved with the organization or help out via its other initiatives on its website.