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Dining tax dollars go to work in marketing campaign in Burr Ridge
Becky Neilsen and Dave Brezak enjoy a glass of wine on the patio at Cooper's Hawk during warmer days. Summer diners helped generate higher-than-expected revenues from the village's places of eating tax, which took effect in May. | Doings file photo
Dining dollars
Burr Ridge’s places of eating tax went into effect in May and is generating money for the village and for its restaurant marketing committee.Here are total receipts so far.
May $20,962
June $22,646
July $21,410
August $21,145
September $21,432
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Updated: January 21, 2013 1:56AM
BURR RIDGE — Burr Ridge is taking to the airwaves.
A holiday advertising campaign with WLIT 93.9 is just part of a marketing plan launched this month by the village’s restaurant marketing subcommittee, a venture funded by the local places of eating tax enacted in May.
“It just got started, but it’s a great start,” Burr Ridge Village Administrator Steve Stricker said.
Before the tax was approved, village staff estimated annual receipts of $200,000, with $50,000, or 25 percent, going toward restaurant marketing efforts. The first five months generated $107,595 — an average of $21,519 per month.
“That’s even a little higher than anticipated,” Stricker said.
The Restaurant Marketing Committee was formed to determine how that 25 percent could best be used to promote local restaurants. Made up of village staff and representatives from seven local restaurants, its members are working closely with Phil Yaeger, managing partner with Boost Creative Marketing and longtime promoter of the village’s hotels.
“This is getting the word out to lots of people, encouraging them to come here,” Yaeger said of the campaign now under way.
Yaeger is guiding the committee in its charge to attract attention to Burr Ridge’s vibrant and growing collection of eateries and to make Burr Ridge a “dining destination.”
Along with the radio promotion, which also involves Burr Ridge Village Center and the Burr Ridge Hotel Marketing Committee, all Burr Ridge residents will receive a newly designed brochure in their next water bill. The brochure describes each of the village’s 18 restaurants and includes coupons and a stamp card that encourages residents to visit each establishment.
“We’re encouraging the recipients to go out and try each of the restaurants,” Yaeger said.
Each completed stamp card will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate.
A new website, burrridgerestaurants.com, offers descriptions, links and even deals for Burr Ridge’s 18 dining spots, which range from places to grab a quick sandwich to spots for fine dining.
With the marketing campaign under way and the holidays ahead, Stricker said he hopes receipts for November and December will be even higher than those for May through October.
