Last year, a new sort of coupon hit Buffalo in the form of a deck of cards. Buffalo Dining Cards provided consumers with 52 ways to save cash and savor local flavors, while keeping the concept simple: spend $25 and get $10 off of your bill. The best part? No blackout dates, no exclusions. 48 of the cards were $10 off coupons to a wide array of local restaurants, with four cards as “freebies” for anything from a cup of coffee at Sweet_ness 7 to a Zillycakes cupcake. The decks themselves sold for $20, so you only had to use two of the cards to make it worth your while. And, one dollar was donated to Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.
This year, the decks are back with a new line-up of local restaurants to choose from–50 cards are $10 off a bill of $30 or more and two cards offer freebies. With the new deck of Dining Cards come three new decks providing a range of local retailers, bars and restaurants to choose from: Cocktail Cards ($10 off of $30), Shopping Cards ($10 off of $50) and Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) Cards for various retailers, art galleries and special events throughout the area. Now, anyone from cultural enthusiasts who enjoy food, arts and entertainment, to people who want to explore their city outside of their usual haunts, or for those wanting their dollars invigorating the local economy, can enjoy the savings and experiences these cards offer.
Buffalo Dining Cards Co-Founder Patrick Finan believes this “Buy Local” message has resonated so profoundly with this area because the cards provide an experience chains and otherwise non-local restaurants and retailers cannot offer Buffalonians.
With respect to the Dining Cards, Patrick said: “They give you the experience not only to buy local food, but also the experience of tasting local flavors you can’t get at chain restaurants. As supporters of the local farm-to-table movement, we wanted to create a product that makes it both easy and fun for people to enjoy local food, prepared by local chefs that source locally grown food. The response we’ve gotten in return has been tremendous.”
Take a look at this compelling (two-minute) video Buffalo Dining Cards put together that talks about the local emphasis these cards place on dining at and supporting locally sourced and owned restaurants and, in turn, how that spurs the local economy. Consider this: if only one-fifth of each of the cards in any given deck is used, and customers only spend $30 per redemption, $300 stays in the local economy. That number is multiplied by the total number of decks sold, resulting in a local economic impact of several million dollars. This impact is even greater when the amount spent at an establishment is more than the minimum.
Beyond supporting local businesses, these cards also support local charities. One dollar from the sale of each deck goes directly to a local non-profit organization. Beneficiaries from proceeds of the 2011-2012 decks include the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, Give 4 Greatness, Roswell Park Cancer Institute/Breast Cancer Research in WNY, and Habitat for Humanity Buffalo.
The four decks are sold for $20 each at local retailers such as Valu Home Centers, Noco Express, The Lexington Co-Op, Premier Gourmet and other retailers throughout the area. They will also be available at TOPS Friendly Markets starting in November, and at The Walden Galleria throughout November and December. BOGO cards are sold only at Valu Home Centers. Decks may be purchased online at www.buffalodiningcards.com, where complete lists of retailers and participating merchants are also available. Cards are valid now through December 31, 2012.
And check this out for those of you ex-pat Buffalo Rising readers or for those with friends and relatives scattered around the country: Buffalo Dining Cards have expanded to five news cities for the 2011-2012 season, and now offer local Dining Cards for Rochester, Boston, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Phoenix. All of the information you need on these additional decks and the restaurants they support can be found at www.citydiningcards.com.
Buying Local is a concept we know helps local economies. It’s not a new concept, but it’s one that works. We here at Buffalo Rising encourage everyone to please consider our local businesses, restaurants and retailers for as many of your needs as possible to keep that Buffalo economic engine humming.