October 25, 207 | Network Spotlight: Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week | by Terry Poe Buschkamp, Main Street Iowa
Iowa is well known for the production of food. Our state is number one in the nation in corn, soybean, pork and egg production. (USDA, 2015); and home to 36 of the largest 100 food manufacturers/ processors. (Food Processing Magazine, 2015).
But what you may not know is that those same ingredients are used in the tasty dishes that are served in the mom-and-pop cafés or white tableclothed eateries that can be found in historic downtowns and Main Street districts across the state that feature the very best of the quality, variety and unique flavors that make Iowa a great place to live and visit. From authentic comfort food to farm-to-fork fresh and everything in between, these restaurants, bars and bistros provide a key ingredient to the thriving social, business and residential life in the historic commercial districts in Main Street Iowa communities.
The idea of a week-long celebration of Iowa’s unique culinary scene to support the locally owned-restaurants in Main Street communities was conceived by a small group of Iowans who attended a session at the 2016 Main Street Now conference on Restaurant Week. The promotion is usually conducted as a metro-wide program in urban communities, and can vary in timing, pricing and structure from city to city. The city markets the promotion, which is typically a “special deal” offered by local restaurants that could be anything from a unique menu item or a coupon to a 3-course prix fixe meal.
A task force that included local Main Street Executive Directors, volunteers and restaurant owners was formed to discuss the possibility of launching a state-wide Restaurant Week in Iowa. We were aware that the majority of our communities don’t have the critical mass of dining establishments to support a Restaurant Week promotion independently, but the group felt that by working together we could take advantage of the nation-wide trend.
Our goal for the promotion was to raise awareness of and increase visitation to restaurants in Main Street Iowa communities, and the target audience was 1) Iowans within a comfortable driving distance of Main Street Iowa communities, and 2) residents of Main Street Iowa communities.
With 52 local Main Street communities varying in size from Lansing (population 999) to districts in Davenport and Des Moines, we knew it would be difficult to create a one-size-fits-all promotion, so the task force recommended that local programs be given the option to design and coordinate a Restaurant Week activity that would work for their community.
The task force selected one full week and two weekends to collectively promote the culinary establishments in Iowa’s designated Main Street districts. The dates chosen are during harvest season, which the group felt was an excellent time to market dining in locally owned restaurants and feature Iowa grown products.
Main Street Iowa managed the state-wide effort and coordinated a cooperative advertising section in a regional magazine. Iowa Economic Development’s Marketing and Communication Division created a graphic identity that was provided to the local communities for their use, as well as a “tool box” that included a downloadable table tent, sample press releases and hashtag usage suggestions. The Iowa Tourism Office created a micro-website, marketed the event on social media channels and promoted Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week in their media newsletter. The event was picked up by numerous newspapers, television and radio stations.
The inaugural Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week happened September 15-24, 2017. The promotion was a collection of “foodie” activities that occurred In Main Street Iowa’s designated districts during the 10-day period designed to encourage Iowans to explore new dining opportunities or enjoy old favorites in Main Street Iowa communities across the state. Local organizations hosting special activities for food lovers included Avoca, Burlington, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Fort Madison, Greenfield, Hampton, Marshalltown, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, Osceola, Oskaloosa, Spencer, Waterloo, West Branch, West Des Moines and Woodbine. Nearly 150 restaurants in 17 communities featured a variety of special dining offers, including a “Longest Table” dinner, “Meet the Culinary Artists” event, community-wide passports that reward diners for visiting local restaurant, prix fixe options and more.
Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week was a terrific opportunity for Iowans to explore locally owned restaurants in their own backyards and for visitors to enjoy our wealth of undiscovered restaurants. Comments from participating communities on a post-event evaluation included “Restaurants loved it and got great traffic,” and “I loved doing a promotion that just focused on our restaurants.” Main Street Iowa communities are already making plans for a 2018 Restaurant Week.
Terry Poe Buschkamp is the Promotion Specialist for the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Main Street Iowa program. She provides professional services to communities across the state as the lead trainer in the area of Promotion, and is the coordinator for the Iowa Downtown Conference and Main Street Iowa Awards. Previously, Buschkamp served as Executive Director for Main Street Waterloo, the Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau and Waterloo Downtown Council.