Help Save Wax Paper & Lingua Franca

First and foremost, our hearts are with everyone affected by the wildfires—those who have lost their lives, homes, businesses, and those who are displaced. The devastation is unimaginable, and the resilience of our community in rallying together through mutual aid and countless efforts is inspiring.

While we count ourselves fortunate not to have faced the flames directly, the impact on small businesses like ours is profound. We’ve dedicated our lives to this industry—building relationships with our regulars, supporting our staff, and creating spaces that people rely on and love. Like so many small businesses, this isn’t just work for us—it’s our livelihood.

Our Story

We built our businesses from the ground up with no investors, remaining a family-owned operation since 2015, with Peter and Lauren, the owners, at the helm. We’ve weathered a pandemic, strikes, extreme weather, and now the ripple effects of the wildfires. The wake of the strikes has been choppy, many small businesses as a whole have not fully recovered from the Pandemic for a myriad of reasons, and now, a natural disaster is just one more blow to the already steady challenges we have faced. This is the most scared we’ve ever been of losing it all. Sales are down 50% or more across the industry. In a time when 85% of restaurants may close, we don’t want to be a statistic. After nine years at Wax Paper Frogtown, six at Wax Paper Chinatown, and two at Lingua Franca—our dream restaurant that took seven years to build—we’re fighting to stay open.

Our Impact & Commitment

We take pride in what we’ve built over the last decade, including:

• Creating 100+ jobs across all three locations

• Offering health insurance to our employees despite this not being required for a company of our size

• Committing to diversity, equity, and inclusion for our employees & a safe space for customers of all walks of life

• Helping our communities - local and at large when in need

• Becoming a destination for customers from all over the city, state, country, and world

• Building valuable relationships with thousands of customers we now call friends

How to Help

It’s uncomfortable asking for help when so many people have lost so much, and we don’t want to compare struggles. But the reality is, small businesses like ours are in crisis.

Several friends, family, and customers have asked how they can help. We’ve created a GoFundMe under Appreciate You Restaurant Group, which houses Wax Paper and Lingua Franca, to help sustain our business through this downturn. This fundraiser has been established by us, Peter and Lauren, for our small

business’s sustainability. *GoFundMe disclaimer required to be added in this description

Please, only give if you’re in a position to do so. We deeply understand the greater need right now.

Other Ways to Support

If donating isn’t possible, there are so many other ways to help us are:

• Book a reservation at Lingua Franca

• Stop by for a meal at any of our locations

• Leave a nice review

• Share this message

These small gestures make a huge impact.

Where the Funds Will Go

Every dollar raised will go directly toward sustaining our business and supporting our team during this incredibly challenging time. Specifically, funds will help us keep our amazing staff employed, sustain operations during slower business times and any unexpected closures, catch up with our vendors, cover essential operating costs such as rent and utilities, and cover administrative costs to ensure we can continue our business operations smoothly.

Running a restaurant is a delicate balance, and every bit of support helps keep our team, our spaces, and our community thriving.

Thank you for reading and for being part of our story. Your support—through any means—helps us keep going.

With gratitude and hope,

Lauren & Peter Lemos