Downtown Dine Around in Springfield, Thursday, June 19
Posted on Wednesday, June 11 2008 by Heather Brandon
The folks at the Springfield Business Improvement District downtown have come up with a new way to try to promote restaurant establishments and night life in the city, with heavy sponsorship from the area’s media companies.
Overall support for the Downtown Dine Around, set to take place on Thursday, June 19, is coming from MassLive.com, with targeted support of three dining “circuits” at $35 per person coming from CBS3, Mix 93.1 WHYN, and the Valley Advocate and Preview Massachusetts.
Nine restaurants are participating, each bundled into a circuit, and patrons can select their starting point based on availability.
Registration begins at 5:30 pm, although tickets can be purchased ahead of time online for the savvy diners, or reservations made by calling (413) 781-1591. According to a report by Mike Dobbs in the Reminder, the event will be limited to about 50 diners per location, totaling about 450 people overall. If it is successful, it may be repeated throughout the year.
My marketing and buzz-building suggestion: invite a few area bloggers to participate for free if they’ll document the experience—especially the area’s food bloggers (Jen Adams comes to mind)—but any who concentrate on Springfield, even its history, and how it’s doing politically or socially, would possibly be game, and their multiple voices and perspectives could help underline the point that downtown has much to offer.
Here’s how it works: starting at 6:00 pm, each of the nine restaurants participating will serve patrons a sampler platter and a beverage of choice. Forty-five minutes later, as a group, patrons will be invited to walk to the next restaurant on the circuit—guides will be available outside to help show patrons the way to their next stop—and repeat the eating and drinking starting at about 7:00. The process is repeated and a third restaurant will serve food and drink at 8:00, and the idea is to wrap up the event officially an hour later.
Patrons have the option to choose one circuit from three choices, and each circuit offers three stops, which will probably conclude by utterly filling your belly.
The restaurants participating in the Downtown Dine Around on June 19—again, that’s (413) 781-1591 for reservations—shown grouped in their circuits, are:
350 Grill (not pictured), Virtuoso, Café Manhattan
Café Lebanon, McCaffrey’s Public House, Montenia’s
SBID executive director Jeff Keck told Dobbs he hopes the event will demonstrate for the public that downtown is a safe place to be. It also happens to have some great restaurants that could use your support.
This is the kind of event that can help build community as well as the local economy and it’s a good thing to see it happening. If you have never visited some of these restaurants or are curious how downtown Springfield is doing these days—whether you are a city resident or not—here is your perfect opportunity.
Belmont
June 11th, 2008 at 6:19 pmSounds like a cool idea. Isn’t the 350 grill the one that is in the mardis gras complex? Leave the kids at home if you are signing up for that route!
Heather Brandon http://urbancompass.net
June 12th, 2008 at 9:08 amYes Belmont that is the one. According to the current info on the Mardi Gras site, 350 Grill is hosting a grand opening on June 24 and 25. I didn’t include in the post above the image of the storefront I found online because it was so rough-looking and I suppose it’s better now (please let it be better now? The sad little banner in the image below says “now open,” but there appear to be windows and doors missing with the weather cold enough for snow on the ground - maybe this is part of the cool post-industrial look):
You can also check out the street view of the area around it thanks to Google Maps having documented every square inch of Springfield in the last year or so (and thanks also to NoPolitician for pointing it out in the Springfield MassLive.com forum this morning).
While the address of the esteemed gentleman’s club the Mardi Gras is on Taylor Street and the 350 Grill is on Worthington, they are right next to each other and just front opposite on those parallel streets. By the way the photos inside the Mardi Gras are definitely something to check out, especially comparing what it’s like outside (see Google) to all the purple and halogen bulb-lit extravagance inside. It’s like a theme park in there.
mike dobbs
June 13th, 2008 at 7:31 amThe owners of the 350 are currently re-doing that facade….stucco and stone…very nice. The two businesses are linked with a inner door but restaurant patrons do not have to have any exposure…pardon the pun…with the strip bar if they don’t want.
A theme park, indeed. ‘Nuff said.
Heather Brandon http://urbancompass.net
June 13th, 2008 at 5:15 pmI have updated this post with corrected information from Sarah Fitzgerald, public relations and marketing manager of the SBID. She emailed me late today to alert me to the fact that the dine around event will accommodate 450 people total, not just 50 as was previously reported.
She said the number of 50 patrons represents a figure per restaurant.
So, come one, come all.
A press conference is taking place Monday, June 16, at 10:00 am to announce the dine around. Below is the release from the mayor’s office late this afternoon.
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NEW EXPERIENCE SATIFIES APPETITIES AND WALLETS
SpringfieldDowntown.com introduces a novel way for patrons to enjoy three downtown restaurants for one ticket price
June 12, 2008 - The Springfield Business Improvement District (BID), Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet will hold a press conference on Monday, June 16 at 10 a.m. at the Sovereign Bank Plaza (between Sovereign Bank and Café Lebanon on Main Street) to announce an exciting, new restaurant experience called “Downtown Dine Around.”
“Downtown Dine Around” will take place Thursday, June 19th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Springfield. The event allows a patron to enjoy three downtown restaurants in three hours for one ticket price of $35. Participating restaurants have composed a scrumptious sampler menu for patrons. A complimentary glass of beer or wine will also be served at each of the three restaurants.
BID Executive Director Jeffery K. Keck said the event is designed to bring exposure the exquisite cuisines downtown restaurants have to offer. “Those of us who work and live downtown are already familiar with the many terrific restaurants and have our favorites. Now, I’m excited to help introduce these restaurants to a wider population,” said Keck. “Many people will walk away from this experience with a new favorite restaurant.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the event promotes downtown Springfield. “We’re fortunate enough to have downtown with great restaurants, theatres, live music and sports venues,” said Sarno. “It’s a clean and safe downtown and we’re proud to show it off.”
Further details, including participating restaurants will be announced at the press conference. The event is sponsored by SpringfieldDowntown.com, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, MassLive, Valley Advocate, Preview Massachusetts, CBS 3 Springfield, Mix93.1.
NoPolitician http://
June 13th, 2008 at 9:52 pmI know there’s a public safety perception problem in the downtown, but doesn’t Sarno appearing with Fitchet reinforce this stereotype rather than debunk it?
Heather Brandon http://urbancompass.net
June 19th, 2008 at 3:37 pmThe downtown dine around is tonight. MassLive.com food blogger Jennifer Adams, a West Springfield resident, will be there. To my great pleasure, I was also invited, by the SBID’s Sarah Fitzgerald, who said she was taking my advice to invite bloggers. Unfortunately I can’t make it, but I want to give the SBID a huge thanks for extending such an invitation based on my suggestion. Bloggers can offer great publicity for things like this (when we can actually make it to events).
Hoping everyone who dines around downtown Springfield tonight has a great time. I invite anyone interested to email stories and photos about the experience and I’ll put together a post about it; otherwise I will link to whatever Jennifer Adams may produce later.
Heather Brandon http://urbancompass.net
June 24th, 2008 at 10:07 amJennifer Adams has posted a review of the meals she had during the dine around. Her favorite (and one of mine as well): Café Lebanon.
Urban Compass | Blog Archive | Springfield’s Downtown Dine Around Returns 10/29 http://urbancompass.net/?p=1515
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am[...] the similar event last June, the idea is for patrons to enjoy a visit to three different downtown eateries in one [...]