In a crazy year, I was beyond excited to go out on-premise and have a Margarita and some chips and homemade guacamole in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Unfortunately, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Laredo's Restaurant, had to permanently close its door as a result of the global pandemic.

However, what was really cool was that my guacamole was paid for my none other than actor and new beverage entrepreneur Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson’s “Guac on The Rock,” was a live initiative that took place May 1-5 to encourage people across the country to support their local bars and restaurants whether they were dining inside/outside or to-go.

Consumers just needed to upload a photo of their printed itemized receipt showing usage of The Rock’s Teremana tequilia, and they were directly reimbursed via Venmo for up to $10 for their guacamole. Over the length of the five-day initiative, which also celebrated Johnson’s 49th birthday on May 2, Teremana picked up the check, reimbursing U.S. restaurant and bar goers for up to $1 million in free guacamole appetizers.

“This past year, the hospitality industry was hit hard, knocked on its knees like many industries at home and abroad,” Johnson said in a video on Instagram. “I just found out that 10 percent of the U.S. economy is made up from the hospitality industry, and this supplies a massive makeup of our economy. This is an industry close to my heart and one that normally gives all of us so much support year-round. These people need our help and support to get back in business.”

Launched in March 2020, Teremana is an ultra-premium, small-batch tequila crafted at the highest peaks of the Jalisco highland mountains. With two expressions, a blanco and a reposado, its name translates as “spirit of the earth,” from the Latin word “terra,” meaning earth, and the Polynesian word “mana,” meaning spirit. “Teremana has quickly become the tequila of the people,” Johnson proudly says.

Johnson isn’t the only one thinking outside of the box to get the hospitality industry moving again. A new mobile app, “Get Your Drink On,” GYDO is a drink-gifting app @Get_GYDO that enables users to socially gift a drink to someone in the same bar or in a location across the country, making up for missed moments that cannot be attended in person.

Available worldwide through the Apple App and Google Play Store, the GYDO Drink Card can be used to purchase a beer, cocktail or wine at any brewery, winery or restaurant or bar that accepts payments through mobile apps.

Co-founded by entrepreneurs Ryan Williams and Rachel H. van Gorp, GYDO is led by a team of experts with 10 years of experience in mobile app development. As expatriates who were distanced from family and friends, Williams and van Gorp grew tired of missing out on weddings, birthdays, promotions and engagements after moving far away from their loved ones.

“Ryan and I were both expats when we created GYDO, and designed the mobile app with human connection in mind after experiencing firsthand the emotional toll that takes hold after missing out on so many of life’s important moments that we would otherwise be present for had it not been for the distance,” van Gorp said in a statement. “At a time when being connected to loved ones matters more than ever before, GYDO is pioneering the drink-gifting revolution by providing users with a unique way to virtually join the celebration with friends and family.”