Eat. Drink. Win. That’s the concept behind the inaugural Newport Beach Restaurant Month that takes place Sept. 1-30 at dozens of restaurants throughout Newport Beach.
Unlike Newport Beach Restaurant Week (normally held in mid-January) when restaurants offer special prix fixe lunch and dinner menus, Restaurant Month adds a digital component to the mix, and with it a chance to win various prizes.
Newport Beach Restaurant Month features a digital Dine Pass that contains an all-inclusive epicurean directory to local participating restaurants.
After signing up and downloading the Dine Pass app, patrons will unlock a variety of exclusive offers and opportunities to win daily foodie prizes and one of four weekly grand prize vacations. Guests earn “check-ins” at participating restaurants and are entered to win when dining on a restaurant patio or ordering take-out.
To participate, visit the website VisitNewportBeach.com/Restaurant-Month and sign-up for a Newport Beach Restaurant Month Dine Pass. The pass is delivered via text and email and is ready to use.
Through the Dine Pass, browse participating restaurants for al fresco dining or take-out options. Arrive at the restaurant and click the “Check-In” button to redeem exclusive offers. Each “Check-In” is an entry for daily giveaways and vacation stays in Newport Beach.
Restaurant Month was first discussed at a special meeting of the Newport Beach Restaurant Association Business Improvement District Board of Directors held via conference call on June 30. At that meeting, the board reviewed a COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan and Budget, created by a board ad-hoc committee with help from Newport Beach and Company.
The focus of the original plan was to hold a Summer Restaurant Month August 1-31 to drive incremental customers, spending and revenue to Newport Beach restaurants to assist with economic and financial COVID-19 recovery efforts. The city’s annual Restaurant Week will also return in January 2020 as part of the plan.
According to Doug McClain, senior VP & CMO for Newport Beach and Co., the Summer Restaurant Week will have zero financial impact on the restaurants for their participation.
“It is purely a promotional campaign that will help drive attendance,” said McClain. “We will create a web-based mobile app and award prizes daily and weekly to encourage visitors and residents to get out to all parts of our destination, to all restaurants in Newport Beach.”
The restaurant BID plan is part of a larger one for all of Newport Beach, said McClain.
“It’s a comprehensive recover campaign aimed at tourism and a local standpoint to drive visitation as well as to get residents to spend money locally,” explained McClain.
Restaurant Month was put on hold when restaurants were forced by a state mandate to move to outdoor dining. Now that most restaurants have added patios and other al fresco seating areas, Restaurant Month is again a viable method to drive traffic during a normally slow time for restaurant—made even slower by the coronavirus restrictions.,
Newport Beach Restaurant Month encourages safe and socially-distanced dining following all state and county guidelines including outdoor patio seating and take-out offers.
Go to www.VisitNewportBeach.com/Restaurant-Month for an updated list of participating restaurants and to sign up for a Dine Pass.
Comprised of more than 450 restaurants and foodservice operators, the Newport Beach Restaurant Association is a non-partisan, non-profit cooperative marketing association that brands Newport Beach dining and promotes the commercial welfare of restaurants and the foodservice industry in the City of Newport Beach, California.
Every establishment is assessed a levy to be used toward marketing, advertising and public relations for dining in Newport Beach.
For more information, please visit www.visitnewportbeach.com/about-dinenb/newport-beach-restaurant-association.
Dine Newport Beach is a strategic marketing initiative cooperatively created and managed by the Newport Beach Restaurant Association and Newport Beach & Company. It is designed to enhance the economic vitality of the Newport Beach culinary community by showcasing and promoting Newport Beach as a dining destination. For more information, please visit www.visitnewportbeach.com/dinenewportbeach.
