Story posted Thursday, July 2, 2009
Explore Possibility Of Restaurant Marketing Program
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson discussed a new plan with trustees to market village restaurants at a recent Elk Grove Committee of the Whole meeting.
Village staffers are preparing surveys to send to about 120 eateries asking restaurateurs for input. The proposed program would offer discounts to diners through a marketing campaign funded entirely through the village's Industrial Commercial Revitalization Commission (ICRC) Fund.
Participation by restaurants would be voluntary with the only cost to the businesses being discounted services.
The village would aggressively market the local eateries on its website and by other means. Participating restaurants would place stickers in windows alerting customers to discounts and specials using coupons through the program.
Johnson said restaurants would have to be allowed to opt out of the program but would need to give the village notice and would need to post their exit from the program in their windows so diners are not caught unaware with unusable coupons.
The program would market all types restaurants in the village from fast food outlets like McDonald's and Subway to high-end eateries such as Topa.
Trustees at the meeting raised a few concerns but were generally supportive of the concept and were willing to have village staffers take the next preliminary steps.
Trustee Christine Prochno said there would need to a high degree of coordination with the businesses so the marketing campaign could keep current with specials. She also raised questions about how marketing of fundraising events at restaurants would be addressed.
Trustee Pat Feichter said he was only aware of two village eateries participating in Internet coupon based marketing programs through private websites.
Trustee Jeff Franke said he is interested in seeing the results of the surveys before moving too far ahead with the program.
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