SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — If you’ve ever wanted to eat double the worth of what you pay at a local restaurant, now is the time to do so. In April Onondaga County launched a gift card program in which you could buy a voucher towards participating local restaurants and any purchase up to $100.00 would be doubled.
For instance, if you bought one for $25.00 you would receive one worth $50.00. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced the plan at his State of The County Address and the program was launched a few months later. $500,000 went towards this and created over a million dollars worth of revenue in the county.
The first round of the program sold out quickly and some members of the community faced difficulty in obtaining these vouchers.
Bud Loura, the owner of RestaurantQB, a consulting business, worked with McMahon on getting this program started. The two met and discussed what could be done to help local restaurants as well as the economy. For this round he says that they have learned a few things that had to be improved or changed.
“We learned from the first round that seniors and people without an email address had challenges,” he said. “So they dedicated a line. They have people on staff and people can call in, and there’s a certain amount of vouchers available only for them.”
Seniors as well as veterans will have a designated amount of vouchers that will only be available to them. Loura also said people will be able to purchase a maximum of four.
Those participating in the program are local restaurants, they’re not big chains, and they must be a restaurant, not a bar. This list includes those who wanted to participate again as well as those who saw the success of the program and wanted to join.
Patrick Winslow has been running Heid’s of Liverpool since 2010 and he saw the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had not just on his restaurant, but others as well. He says he believes this is going to help a lot of local places.
“I love the whole concept of the program just because of what it’s going to do for local businesses and restaurants,” he said.
Both Winslow and Laura said almost all local restaurants faced some hardships during the pandemic, whether it be staffing, supply chain issues, or the amount of customers. However, they also said these businesses have pushed through these struggles and they’re ready to see more people come to their locations to eat.
Director of Development and Special Projects at Cafe Kubal, Aldea Gerard, says the initiative is doing just that.
“People who might not have seen our company before are taking interest in our company,” she said. “It’s bringing in new people.”
More information about the restaurants that are participating as well as how to purchase these vouchers can be found online
