During the pandemic, small businesses had to get creative in order to sustain themselves through turbulent times. Some changed up their operational game plan by orchestrating streamlined sales initiatives, while others pivoted completely. For Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs, the team buckled down, in ways that ultimately provided support to a sector of the community that needed it most.
“From the end of March to the middle of April, we closed Frank for regular business hours and transferred that energy into helping others. At the height of the pandemic, our five-person team cooked, packed & delivered 13,000+ meals to frontline workers from Buffalo to Rochester on behalf of private companies and local organizations,” says Paul Tripi, who together with brother and co-owner Frank Tripi began the company seven years ago.
When Tripi learned that there was a contest that could help to fortify his business, he decided that he needed to tell the Frank story in a more meaningful light. The Barclays Small Business Big Wins Contest is designed to “identify those in the small business community that can best inspire other small businesses to succeed and persevere through the challenging events of 2020.”
The winner of the award will walk away with $50,000. There are also a number of tertiary prizes to help small businesses weather the storm. Incredibly, out of tens of thousands of entries, Frank has climbed all the way to the top, but they still need help from the community.
“Moving forward, we will continue to fight,” says Frank Tripi. “Winning this promotion would provide meaningful relief for the restaurant, our team, and the WNY community,” added Paul.
Finalists were then selected by a judging committee and beginning December 4 through December 14, will be put up for public vote at smallbizbigwins.com. Ten award winners will be announced on December 17. Winners will be based on the number of votes.
Click here to learn more about Frank.