GoRockford Social Media Campaign, Website and Video Platforms to Help County-Wide Food & Beverage Industry Prep for Cooler Seasons Ahead

Rockford, IL – In an effort to help prepare local restaurants and culinary artists for cooler weather and current pandemic restrictions, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB) is pleased to announce a marketing effort encouraging residents and visitors to support our local food and beverage industry. To-Go Tuesday is an 11-week, region-wide awareness campaign to support our local food and beverage industry. With new mitigation efforts implemented as of Saturday, October 3 in Winnebago County, RACVB is encouraging residents across the entire region to support small businesses responsibly at outdoor dining establishments and to consider the many carryout, curbside, delivery, gift card and other creative options that have helped continue to keep doors open amidst the pandemic.

To-Go Tuesday is set to begin tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6, as a virtual gathering place and weekly Facebook event supporting local restaurants with marketing efforts on the GoRockford Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. As part of the campaign, RACVB will feature participating local restaurants that the public is encouraged to patronize. RACVB will award a $25 gift card to one lucky winner per week from a local restaurant located within the 11 municipalities of Winnebago County. To be eligible to win a $25 gift card, participants must share a photo of their recent to-go order from a local restaurant via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram including the hashtags #ToGoRockford and #GoRockford. RACVB will announce the winner on all social media channels midday every Friday for the next 11 weeks.

All area communities will be represented in this RACVB social contest, which will highlight native local restaurants from Winnebago County-based municipalities weekly in the following order:

  • Oct. 5-9 - Cherry Valley
  • Oct. 12-16 - Durand
  • Oct. 19-23 - Loves Park
  • Oct. 26-30 - Machesney Park
  • Nov. 2-6 - New Milford
  • Nov. 9-13 - Pecatonica
  • Nov. 16-20 - Rockford
  • Nov. 23-27 - Rockton
  • Nov. 30-Dec. 4 - Roscoe
  • Dec. 7-11 - South Beloit
  • Dec. 14-18 - Winnebago

“At Lucha Cantina, we’ve seen firsthand how the community can breathe life into local businesses,” said Joshua Binning, owner of Lucha Cantina. “Whether buying food curbside, purchasing a gift card for future use or simple liking and sharing their posts on Facebook, you can help. Local restaurants are natural gathering places for the community and with community support we’ll all be here when this chapter is over and we’re on to the next.”

Moreover, RACVB continues to update its online Resource Center Food & Beverage center (https://www.gorockford.com/resource-center/food-beverages/) to feature outdoor dining spots and to-go options. Restaurant promotions will continue via the RACVB’s website and social media platforms to provide up-to-date information for patrons to support their favorite local food and beverage establishments in the coming months. The Bureau encourages Winnebago County-based local restaurants to reach out via email to Social@GoRockford.com with restaurant information related to outdoor dining plans, to-go options and promotional offers to be considered for complimentary inclusion in the To-GoRockford campaign.

“RACVB’s mantra has always been to support local, and now more than ever is the best time to make that happen. There are so many ways we can give back to our hardworking local restaurant owners and small businesses during these challenging times,” said Andrea Cook, RACVB senior manager of marketing & communications. “COVID-19 has certainly been a disruption, but we will remain vigilant in our efforts to support one another, abiding by safety protocols, while still enjoying the things that bring us joy. Together we will get through this with our masks up and our hopes too, for brighter times ahead.”

RACVB’s latest campaign efforts serve as an extension to the Clean Hands, Open Doors pledge, which continues to shine a light on the importance of proper sanitization and cleaning practices, social distancing and wearing masks and face coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information on the pledge, visit https://www.rockfordcleanhands.com/.

 

The mission of the RACVB is to drive quality of life and economic growth for our citizens through tourism marketing and destination development. www.gorockford.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Andrea Cook, RACVB Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications, 815.489.1664, acook@gorockford.com

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