Texans have experienced a particularly tough few years, including severe weather such as extreme heat, drought, and multiple tornadoes. On top of that, several beloved local businesses, such as Austin’s iconic Texas French Bread, have experienced damage caused by unforeseen circumstances like fires. Yelp announced the first Make It Happen Day in 2021 in direct response to damage caused by Winter Storm Uri, and is bringing it back this year to inspire the community to take action towards making the updates and improvements needed for their homes and businesses. Building on the impact from last year, Yelp is announcing the second annual “Make It Happen Day”, which will take place across Texas on August 26. A $100,000 Make It Happen Day Fund will go towards covering the cost of repairs for select small businesses across Texas, like Mico’s Hot Chicken in Houston, as well as eligible Texas residents in need of home repairs.
To help spread the word and get the funds to those in need this year, Yelp partnered with Houston native, design expert and Emmy-nominated TV host Bobby Berk who recently filmed Queer Eye’s sixth season in Austin.
“Every small business has a history, and many of those have had it rough over the past few years between COVID, horrible storms and even fires,” says Bobby Berk. “This is why I’m honored to be a part of Yelp’s Make It Happen Day 2022 initiative, helping these companies get back on their feet. Through the Make It Happen Day fund, we will bring the community together to make much-needed updates and repairs to our friends’ homes and small businesses.”
Win $1,000 for your Home Repairs
As a part of “Make It Happen Day,” Texans have a chance to win $1,000 toward their personal home projects with one of the many trusted home service professionals on Yelp. Eligible Texans can enter for a chance to win by using Yelp’s Request a Quote feature to find a home service professional in their area, and then submitting the quote at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com on August 26, 2022.* You can find everything from roofing, plumbing, painters, HVAC, flooring, contractors, electricians, handymen, landscapers, tree services and more to fit your needs and make your project happen.
Giving Back to Local Businesses
Five local businesses across Texas will each receive $10,000 to make much-needed repairs and updates to their facilities as part of the statewide day of action. Many beloved pillars of the community have experienced challenging circumstances including break-ins, fires and long-term effects from COVID-19. The funds will go towards helping Texas French Bread and Ambur Fire in Greater Austin, The Grill at Leon Springs in San Antonio, Humble: Simply Good Pies in Dallas, and Mico’s Hot Chicken in Houston.
Texas French Bread, a beloved farm-to-table bistro and coffee shop, has been an Austin staple, serving generations for over 40 years with its intimate seating, welcoming staff, and delicious eats. In January 2022, an accidental mechanical failure caused a fire to break out, destroying the historic building. Since then, Texas French Bread has received an outpouring of support from the Austin community, and has begun to sell their goods at local farmers markets. Through Make it Happen Day, Yelp hopes to help Texas French Bread to resume robust operations and continue to serve their loyal community.
When tornadoes ripped through Central Texas in March this year, Ambur Fire of Round Rock was among the businesses severely damaged in its path. The family-owned food truck quickly garnered love for their burgers and BBQ after opening in 2021, but after having been open for less than a year when the tornadoes struck, they faced the financial challenges of obtaining an entirely new truck.
In Houston, food truck favorite Mico’s Hot Chicken opened in 2019 and quickly became a popular spot for their mouthwatering Nashville hot chicken, so much so that within six months they expanded with a brick and mortar location. Unfortunately, along with their success, the small business has been struck by a string of break-ins and robberies in the past year.
Similarly to Texas French Bread, The Grill at Leon Springs in San Antonio and Humble: Simply Good Pies in Dallas have recently suffered destructive fires. A favorite for fine dining since 2006, The Grill at Leon Springs has been temporarily closed since a fire in May 2021 caused its roof to collapse. Husband and wife Sean and Erin Jett, owners of Humble: Simply Good Pies, are in the process of reconstructing their cherished pie shop after an extensive fire in March.
We look forward to seeing what project you plan to tackle by tagging us at @Yelp on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok using #MakeItHappenDay. Let’s Make It Happen!
*Fifty (50) winners will receive a $1,000 American Express gift card to be used towards a home project. The giveaway is limited to Home Services categories. See the Official Rules available at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com/Rules.
