Dining in: How you can help your favorite restaurants

My weekly Dining out column usually consists of suburban restaurant events and specials, new restaurant openings, refreshed menu offerings and more. But now, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker's order for all Illinois restaurants and bars to temporarily close dine-in service and transition solely to delivery or curbside pickup because of COVID-19, things have changed.

There's no doubt that the new restrictions are hitting suburban restaurants and their employees, from the head chef to the waitstaff to the cleanup crew, hard in the pocketbooks.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Order delivery or curbside pickup from your favorite local restaurant.

• Order online directly from the restaurant's website or call in your order directly to the restaurant.

• Buy restaurant gift cards now to use in the future or to give as gifts. Some restaurants are offering incentives for buying gift cards now. Some examples: Hofbrauhaus in Rosemont is offering customers who purchase $100 in gift cards a $40 bonus gift card to use between May 1 and Sept. 1. At Roka Akor in Oak Brook, for every $100 in gift cards purchased, $20 will go directly to the restaurant's employee relief fund.

• Tip a little (or a lot) extra or consider rounding up your bill to the closest dollar. Every little bit will help.

• Some eateries are offering free delivery or a discount on online orders. If so, consider adding an extra tip in the amount of the delivery charge or discount savings.

• Follow suburban restaurants and bars on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see what specials they're offering, as many are changing almost daily.

For a database of what suburban and Chicago restaurants are offering, see diningatadistance.com/chi.

Do what you can now to help out your favorite dining spot so they can make it through what will undoubtedly be a tough time over the next few weeks or months. If you have any suggestions for ways to help out, email me at clinden@dailyherald.com.

Chef opens daily hotline

James Beard award-winning chef and co-owner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Sarah Stegner will be available to answer your cooking questions from 2 to 4 p.m. daily during the coronavirus crisis. "We realize that many people need help and we want to offer our assistance by providing information and answering cooking questions," Stegner said in a prepared statement. Call the hotline at (847) 920-8437. For curbside pickup, see prairiegrasscafe.com/.

• To submit restaurant news, email clinden@dailyherald.com.