The campaign, which features black-and-yellow posters displaying a line of upraised fork-holding hands, will run through the end of May. Part of the goal is to convince consumers that budget shortfalls and economic woes will only get worse if they don’t spend money in restaurants, which contribute $570 million a year in state and local taxes.
But CRA president Pete Meersman acknowledged that all of the goading in the world won’t have much of an effect if restaurants don’t take advantage of the publicity and offer deals on food items. Many already have begun discounting entrees for the promotion, he said.
“If some restaurants are offering specials and you’re a restaurant that’s not offering specials and you’re losing business to the restaurant that is offering specials, that’s something to think about,” Meersman said. “This is good for the consumer.”
Even while kicking off the effort to get more people coming out, CRA leaders acknowledged that the state restaurant industry is not being hit especially hard by the recession. Because disposable income in Colorado is expected to rise by 1.4 percent this year, restaurant sales are anticipated to rise by $300 million, or 3.8 percent, the third highest jump in the U.S., said CRA board chairman Tom Lund, vice president for the Old Chicago and Rock Bottom restaurants.
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