On Friday, Japan experienced the worst earthquake in its history and a tsunami. The death toll is at least 1,800 and concerns over nuclear reactors continue.
The majority of the 3,300 McDonald’s locations in Japan are open, but a few hundred are closed because of damage or staffing issues, said Bridget Coffing of McDonald’s Global External Communications. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the disaster in Japan. Like other global businesses, McDonald’s is working to gather information on our people and our operations in Japan. Our primary concern is the well-being and safety of our employees, their families, and our valued customers.”
Ebisu in San Francisco will donate 10% of its profits from its four stores to disaster relief for two weeks. The 30-year-old restaurant is one of the Bay Area’s oldest Japanese restaurants, and the owners and staff were trying to reach family and friends in Japan, according to an ABC affiliate.
Over the weekend, chefs including Richard Blais, Jose Andres and Tom Colicchio put out calls to action on Twitter for their followers to text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief.
Groupon is raising funds for the International Medical Corps’ emergency relief efforts through its website. Fundraising is nothing new to the daily deal site, which started as “The Point,” a fundraising and collective-action site. Today’s deals in Hong Kong and Australia are among those that are donations from $5 to $50 that will be matched.