If you’re searching for some new dining ideas, look no further than Mission’s downtown core.
Kerry and Laurel Martin, owners of Martin’s Downtown, have come up with a new idea to promote local dining opportunities.
Dine Downtown Mission is a week-long event that allows diners to try new menu items at a special price.
Last year, Martin’s Downtown did the campaign on its own. This year, with the help of the mission Downtown Business Association, there are six participating restaurants.
“I’d love to see all the restaurateurs downtown trying to group market a little bit to try and promote the downtown core,” said Kerry.
“For downtown to be vital, they need to be combining resources and market it as a dining area,” he added.
This year’s Dine Downtown Mission runs from Jan. 22 to 29 and has six restaurants – Martin’s Downtown, Elenis Restaurant, U&I Thai, The Sweet Spot Cafe, English Tarts and Akasaka Japanese Restaurant – offering special deals to entice diners to try something new.
Kerry said restaurants normally struggle to bring people in during January and February, after the rush of the holidays is over, and the Dine Downtown Mission promotion is a good way to rekindle interest in dining out.
“Folks from Mission seem to think there’s no place to eat here,” said Kerry.
“This is a great way to get people back in the habit of dining out after the holiday season.”
Jamie Hayes, executive director of the Mission Downtown Business Association, said once the Martins approached the society with the idea, the association quickly decided it would throw its support behind it.
“The great thing about this is we have such a diverse number of restaurants,” said Hayes.
“The greatest thing about this is you are able to try food at restaurants at a special rate that you may not have considered before.”