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CHROME Federal Credit Union supports local restaurants through crisis

By Jon Andreassi staff Writer jandreassi@observer-Reporter.Com 3 min read
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Megan Pugh (left) and Kaitlyn Hazelton (right) with lunch from Benichopsticks, located at 1025 Waterdam Plaza Drive, Peters Township.

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CHROME Federal Credit Union employee Christine DiPlacido with lunch from Chuck’s Courthouse Cafe, located at 16 S. Main St., Washington.

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Matt Johnson, left, and Jon Harter hold food from Parea Gyros, located at 502 Valley Brook Road, Peters Township.

Editor’s note: This is a weekly series focusing on the importance of buying local.

COVID-19 rapidly brought uncertainty to restaurants as they were forced to shut down any dine-in eating, but a local credit union is hoping to help those businesses get through the crisis.

CHROME Federal Credit Union started an initiative aimed at being local called “CHROME Goes to Lunch,” in which its employees are bought lunch everyday from a different local restaurant.

“CHROME as a credit union has always been focused on the community, and helping the community, working with the community, supporting businesses in the community,” said Patrick Flanigan, CHROME’s marketing manager. “When the virus pandemic hit, we knew we were going to one branch being open with a drive-through, but we didn’t want our commitment to drop at all.”

Because of the pandemic, CHROME closed its branches in Wexford and North Strabane Township, though the credit union still accepts deposits through the drop boxes.

The branch on Griffith Avenue in Canton Township continues its drive-through services and has a limited staff in the building.

Employees from the closed branches have been brought into work at the Canton branch.

“What we decided to do as a leadership team was not lay any of the employees off,” said Tracy Barnabi, vice president and chief talent officer for CHROME. “Everybody is getting their 40 hours still. To put icing on the cake, we thought, ‘Well, why not feed them? We don’t want them to go out.’ Providing lunch turned into using local businesses, and it all just stemmed from taking care of the employees so they can take care of the members.”

There are less than a dozen employees working each day, and CHROME has a running list of local restaurants to buy lunch from each day. Many of those are suggestions from the employees, but CHROME also crowd sources recommendations.

“The people in the branch have good ideas where they want to eat, but on social media ask people to suggest places, which they’ve done,” Flanigan said.

CHROME posts pictures of every day’s lunch on its Facebook page, as well as information about where the day’s lunch was bought from.

As a result of sharing its daily lunches, people often comment with interest in the restaurants CHROME is ordering food from.

“The people are actually asking questions about the restaurants on our posts. I had someone ask for information about Jimmy Z’s, ‘Do they sell pizza by the slice,'” said Rhya El Attrache, a marketing assistant for CHROME.

With social media, CHROME hopes they continue to encourage people to support local businesses through a difficult period.

“This is just part of how we work,” Flanigan said.

Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Chris Slota at 724-225-1326 or by email at chris@belocal.net. Discount cards are available at the Observer-Reporter and Almanac office, 122 S. Main St., Washington.

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