Where Would Actors Get Their Start Without Restaurants?

States and cities across the U.S. are in various stages of reopening in the wake of Covid-19, but food-delivery service DoorDash is issuing a reminder that the coast is far from clear for the restaurant industry. DoorDash called the pandemic the restaurant industry’s greatest challenge to date, and its dependence on their survival is fairly easy to see: To sustain a food-delivery service, there has to be food to deliver. “Restaurants are being decimated by Covid-19,” DoorDash head of consumer marketing David Bornoff told Adweek. “Our focus is pretty singular: What can we do to keep people ordering from restaurants and keep them in business? [We want to] make sure they understand that restaurants need support today, more than ever.” The company and The Martin Agency gathered a handful of celebrities with ties to local restaurants to participate in the “Without Restaurants” campaign, aimed at detailing what life would be like without people’s favorite spots. [kickout id="1"] Actor Tate Donovan (The O.C., voice of Hercules) directed the campaign and participated, and he was joined by: Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man) Mike Colter (Marvel’s Luke Cage) Ana de la Reguera (Nacho Libre) Comedian George Lopez Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., voice of Mulan) The Martin Agency found that at least 30% of Americans' first jobs were in the restaurant industry—a statistic executives figured was "much higher" for actors, said Steve Sage, the agency's art director, vice president and creative director. "Those clichés are clichés for a reason. It was not hard to find actors who had worked in restaurants; it was hard to find actors who hadn’t worked in restaurants," Sage said. The restaurant industry's flexibility allows for schedules beneficial for aspiring actors who need to attend casting calls and auditions. Celebrities in the campaign were connected to the industry in some way, whether they worked at restaurants, had family who owned them or had opened their own establishments. The celebrities share stories about the local restaurants where they worked and how those jobs helped shape their careers, as well as special moments. [kickout id="2"] “There are millions of commercials about doing your part,” Bornoff said. “We needed a different way in. How do we tell that story in a way that can break through and connect emotionally with people? It doesn’t feel like we’re making a joke of the situation, but the campaign does treat it with a little bit of irreverence.” Sage agreed, saying that the object wasn't to make a little fun of the difficult times, but to share a serious message, saying of the celebrities who participated that they were “so thankful for restaurants that they were willing to be in this commercial and make a little fun of themselves for the greater good of restaurants.” The "Without Restaurants" spots will debut on digital platforms today and air on television later this month. DoorDash also detailed social initiative the #GotMyStartChallenge, in which the celebrities will turn to platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to post throwback photos and tag the restaurants where they worked, encouraging users of those platforms to follow suit. “Our job has to be this singularly focused thing,” Bornoff said. “What happens to a world without restaurants? What do you miss out on?” CREDITS: The Martin Agency CEO: Kristen Cavallo Executive vice president/chief creative officer: Karen Costello Executive vp/executive creative director/managing director: Jerry Hoak Creative director: Jonathan Richman Vp/creative director: Steve Sage Associate creative director: Deric Nance Senior vp/head of integrated production: Tasha Dean Executive producer: Tricia Hoover Vp/business affairs director: Dusty Slowik Senior vp/group account director: Jordan Muse Account Supervisor: Katie White Account executive: Robert Clark Senior vp/managing director, cultural impact and brand communications: Jaclyn Ruelle Cultural communications, senior executive: Matt Kessler Strategic planner: Blake Smoral Project manager: Lindsay Marshall Planning supervisor: Santia Nance Paid social supervisor: Chris Tracy Production company: Untitled Inc. Director: Tate Donovan Director of photography: Paul Cameron Executive producer: Jim Evans Line producer: Denny Kennedy Editorial Company: Cut+Run Editor: Frank Effron Assistant editor: Brad Dupuie Executive producer: Michell Eskin Producer: Brian Mulvey Color Grading: Apache Colorist: Steve Rodriguez Producer: Caitlin Audio post: Rainmaker Mixer: Bob Arno Executive producer: Kristin O’Connor Studio manager: Isaac Whalen Voiceover: James Nelson

Food Industry News

Actors Remember Their Food-Service Roots to Help Restaurants in DoorDash Ad

Delivery service teams up with The Martin Agency for 'Without Restaurants'

David Cohen

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

David Cohen