Naperville Man's Gift Card Exchange Helps Local Restaurants

NAPERVILLE, IL — Like many people in Naperville, Dan Spellerberg has his favorite restaurants in town. Most of which, he told Patch, are mom-and-pop joints struggling to stay above water during the coronavirus crisis. Spellerberg funneled his love for local restaurants into a fun gift card exchange that aids those beloved eateries and the folks who love them.

Spellerberg said he was also inspired by helping Lisle Burger City owner Fahad Rehman pass out meals for Hesed House in Aurora. Spellerberg said the coronavirus shutdown has impacted Rehman's business, but Rehman delivers weekly meals to Hesed House nonetheless.

"I figured if he can do that I can figure out a way to help restaurants stay in business," Spellerberg said.

Spellerberg told Patch he took to the Ashbury and Rose Hill Farm neighborhood Facebook page to share the project. He said, "My idea was to expose people to locally owned restaurants and to expose ourselves to each other. Safely, of course. I created an exchange where I put participants' names into a hat and then drew out two at a time to match people."

Here's how it works:

1. Those who want to take part buy a $50 gift card to a small, locally owned restaurant of their choice. The restaurant is kept a secret.

2. Spellerberg puts the names into a hat and then randomly draws names to match up participants.

3. Those who are matched up exchange gift cards and something homemade, whether it's an art, craft, food or other item. Spellerberg said families are in charge of figuring out how to exchange items based on their level of comfort.

Spellerberg said the first gift card exchange had 22 people take part. He hopes to hold another one in the future.

Spellerberg told Patch, "I did this because most people have their local spot, the place they eat at a couple of times a month, a place where they're regulars. Restaurants are personal, and people feel connected to those places because restaurants are microcosms of our communities, especially when they're owned by their neighbors. I thought pumping a bit of money into the local restaurant economy would help now, and introducing people to new places would help later."

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Illinois Coronavirus Update April 9: 15,078 Cases; 462 Deaths