The New Rochelle Business Improvement District (BID) announced its “Dine Downtown 2009” campaign. In introducing the campaign, Marc Jerome, Chairman of the BID stated: “The BID, the City and the business community have worked together to create a downtown environment inviting to restaurants. Now that we are seeing a rise in the number and type of delicious downtown dining opportunities, we created “Dine Downtown 2009” to invite the public to discover this quickly emerging restaurant district”.
The campaign’s first program “Discover, Dine and Save with BID Sawbucks” will run through May 31, 2009. The BID is issuing BID Sawbucks, humorously designed “$10 bills” that can be redeemed at dinner on Monday through Thursday evenings at ten participating restaurants. BID Executive Director Ralph DiBart noted, “We have learned from the great minds in Washington.
Like the federal stimulus package which is printing money to promote commerce during these special times, the BID is printing its own money, $10 Sawbucks which can be used as cash toward your food purchase to stimulate dining downtown Monday through Thursday evenings. Like Washington’s stimulus package, some restrictions apply.”
The BID mailed 20,000 “stimulus” packages, each containing $100 in BID Sawbucks encouraging people to discover, dine and save at Mo’s New York Grill, Rangoli Indian Cuisine, Posto 22 Italian Restaurant, Little Mexican Cafe, Brickyard Bistro, Coromandel Cuisine of India, La Herradura I Mexican Restaurant, Gnarly Vine Wine Café, Bella Bella Italian Restaurant, and Coyote Flaco Mexican Cuisine. BID Sawbucks can also be downloaded at www.NewRochelleDowntown.com which has information on participating restaurants.
Don and Theresa Geyra, regular diners at many Downtown New Rochelle restaurants commented on the BID stimulus package: “We love the Sawbucks. We’ll use them to try some new restaurants and to entice our friends to join us. We look forward to discovering new spots for great food and supporting our downtown neighbors. “
Dine Downtown 2009 is being supported by participating restaurants, a grant from the City of New Rochelle Business Retention Fund, and the New Rochelle BID. New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson stated: “Through this innovative and fun campaign, the City and the BID are inviting our entire community to experience downtown’s growing and diverse restaurant scene. It’s a terrific way to support local businesses, strengthen our local economy, and eat well!”
Maha El-Hawi & Billy Pinou, owners of Brickyard Bistro, a recent addition to the Downtown Dining District reported: “Since we opened this winter, we have gotten great reviews from our New Rochelle, Larchmont and Pelham patrons and expect that the BID Sawbucks will encourage others to discover dining downtown. Working with other restaurants on the Dine Downtown 2009 Campaign has convinced us that we made the right business decision to locate in New Rochelle.”
As part of its Dine Downtown 2009, the BID also announced future events promoting dining downtown during the year. On May 29th the BID and the New Rochelle Library Foundation will host a fundraiser for the New Rochelle Public Library at Avalon on the Sound’s Top of the Roc, which will feature a Taste of Downtown New Rochelle and a Wine Tasting with AOC Wines, another new downtown business. The BID is planning to combine its annual popular outdoor concerts, BID Music on the Green, Thursday evenings in July, with restaurant promotions. In the fall the BID plans to launch Downtown New Rochelle’s first Restaurant Week.
I am in favor of the
I am in favor of the “sawbucks” plan created by the BID. As a matter of fact I even campaigned on a “Buy New Rochelle program” as well a “Citywide New Ro Restaurant Week”. Most anything to stimulate business anywhere in this city is a good thing.
But, as what seems to be the case for any New Rochellean I do have some questions. First, I am curious to know why no New Rochelle restaurant participated in the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week? Was the offer to participate not offered to New Rochelle?
Second, I am curious as to who was mailed these sawbucks. My mother in law was on the mailing list but me and my wife were not mailed. It just strikes me as odd as to who received these and my case is only a small test case but I do make every effort to shop and dine in this city. I would at least send one to anybody who did run for a public office in New Rochelle, not because it is deserved by that person but as in my experience as a marketer I would think they would actually use it to so they could put the money where their mouth was. I will download them off this website.
I do wish the program success for there are a number of good places to eat in New Ro and I will frequent all of them whether they are part of the program or not.
Bruce K Negrin