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February 5, 2021February 2021 Declared ‘Restaurant Appreciation Month’ in Albany County by Discover Albany
Discover Albany, Albany County’s convention and visitors bureau, has declared the upcoming month of February as ‘Restaurant Appreciation Month’ throughout Albany County. While COVID-19’s restrictions have hurt many locally-owned businesses, Discover Albany has made it easy to support Albany County restaurants while customers and businesses alike are each entered for a chance to win a prize at the end of the month.
Throughout the month of February, Capital Region locals are encouraged to dine with their favorite restaurants via takeout, curbside pickup, delivery or dine-in. Customers should then email a screenshot or photo of their receipts to info@albany.org until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2021 for a chance to win a takeout care package. Business owners are also encouraged to spread the word, as one lucky restaurant will also win a free Promotional Partnership with Discover Albany for 2021. This is the highest tier in Discover Albany’s new partnership program, which will be rolled out later this year.
Capital Region locals are encouraged to share photos of their meals on social media with the hashtag #LoveAlbanyRestaurants to highlight Restaurant Appreciation Month and spread the word.
“The leisure and hospitality industry in the Albany metro area has taken a devastating hit, losing more than 15,000 jobs in 2020 – which is more than 1/3 of the total jobs lost during that time,” said Jill Delaney, president and CEO of Discover Albany. “Many of our partners, including hotels and restaurants, are among those who experienced these job losses – having to reduce staff, alter accommodations, and in some cases even close their doors. Albany County’s local restaurants are such an important piece of our vibrant community for visitors and residents. We wanted to collaborate with organizations from across Albany County on an initiative to show all our restaurants some love and how much we appreciate them. We hope that members of the community embrace this effort and will have some fun along the way.”
“The Capital Region Chamber is proud to be a partner of Restaurant Appreciation Month in Albany County,” said Mark Eagan, President and CEO, Capital Region Chamber. “We encourage area residents to get out and support locally-owned restaurants, whether through takeout, curbside pickup, delivery or dining-in.”
All restaurants within Albany County are eligible to win and require no action on their end. Restaurants are encouraged to spread the word of Restaurant Appreciation Month to increase their chances of winning. Graphics to share on businesses’ social media can be found in the Albany County Restaurants’ Toolkit at albany.org/restaurants/restaurant-appreciation-month under the ‘Sample Social Media Posts for Restaurants’ link.
One winning customer and one winning restaurant will each be chosen at random from separate drawings on Monday, March 1. Each customer can have multiple entries with each submitted receipt photo, even from different restaurants. The same goes for multiple entries for each restaurant with every customer’s submitted photo. The winning customer’s takeout care package includes an insulated takeout bag, reusable straws and various other Albany-themed goodies.
For more information on Restaurant Appreciation Month or details on how to win, visit albany.org/restaurants/restaurant-appreciation-month.
