The Minnesota Daily
Samantha Woodward | September 7, 2020
As Dinkytown restaurants struggled during a desolate and pandemic-stricken summer, some University members hope their recent initiative will help guide businesses through the coming months.
This summer, nearly 300 University of Minnesota students remotely took part in the Office for Public Engagement’s (OPE) 2020 Summer of EngageMNt, a volunteer-driven initiative to help local businesses and nonprofits. Within the initiative, some students formed a partnership with Dinkytown stakeholders to help restaurants improve communication with the community and abide by new safety regulations.
The result of the summer’s partnership was an extensive research packet outlining suggestions that businesses can use to continue to weather the pandemic. The packet was distributed to Dinkytown businesses and includes step-by-step recommendations spanning topics like reopening, improving promotions, delivery and pickup, outdoor dining, and local health guidelines.