Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Destination Cleveland and Downtown Cleveland Alliance today announced a collaboration to encourage residents to support locally owned restaurants, shops and hospitality businesses. Labeled “Roam the Winter WonderLand,” the initiative includes a program that will highlight and encourage neighborhood discovery, the creation of welcoming and socially distanced pop-up outdoor environments in city neighborhoods and a marketing campaign offering ideas to explore the city responsibly and safely, including through meal takeout, online shopping, virtual experiences and overnight stays.
As part of the collaboration, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is launching Eat & Explore CLE, a program designed to boost business and outdoor activity in city neighborhoods. As residents and visitors look for new dining and shopping experiences, they are invited to patronize restaurants, explore other nearby small businesses and take advantage of unique and friendly outdoor spaces. Each week, starting Jan. 11 and running through April, a different City of Cleveland neighborhood will be highlighted.
Tania Menesse, President & CEO of Neighborhood Progress, states “We understand the challenges faced by small businesses in our city neighborhoods, and we are proud to partner with community development corporations to foster safe, welcoming environments where residents and visitors can continue to discover abundant dining and shopping opportunities throughout the city.”
To help the city’s neighborhoods create welcoming pop-up dining environments where individuals or families can enjoy the meals purchased in each area, Destination Cleveland is providing outdoor dining placemaking kits, which include items such as tents, tables, chairs and lighting, to community development corporations. To encourage participation in CNP’s Eat & Explore CLE program, a new restaurant rewards challenge will be available on January 13 in the Destination CLE app. Participants who obtain six digital stamps during each two-month Eat & Explore CLE Challenge round will receive a $10 dining gift card to a restaurant participating in the next round of the challenge. (Note: Participants in the final round will receive a gift card to a round one restaurant.)
In addition, Destination Cleveland will encourage responsible area exploration, focusing on the community’s many outdoor activities and parks, through an integrated marketing campaign. Residents will be urged to support the more than 800 restaurants, attractions, hotels and other businesses that are participating in the organization’s CLEAN COMMITTED program. A directory of those establishments is available on ThisisCleveland.com and in the Destination Cleveland app.
“If there was ever a time for Clevelanders to support each other, embrace the cold weather and illustrate our resilience, it’s now,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland. “With the vaccine now being distributed, there seems to be a potential end to the pandemic in sight. To help ensure the businesses that encompass the heart of the Cleveland experience remain open well into the future, it is essential that we spend our dollars locally now.”
To further encourage exploration of the city, Downtown Cleveland Alliance will again present Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week this February 19-28. This hallmark winter event offers diners exclusive specials from the city’s top restaurants. Whether a Downtown dweller, one of the many returning-to-the-office professionals or a city visitor, a variety of prix-fixe options will be available at many of the city center’s diverse eateries.
“Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week is a much-anticipated event for Clevelanders – providing a new reason to visit a favorite Downtown spot or venture out and try something new,” said Joe Marinucci, president and CEO of Downtown Cleveland Alliance. “The winter months are usually challenging for locally owned restaurants and shops, and ‘Roam the Winter WonderLand’ provides a great opportunity for all Clevelanders to celebrate this season and support the small businesses that make our city exceptional, especially when they need us the most.”
Residents who are looking for information about how to responsibly roam the winter wonderland can visit RoamthelandCLE.com.
Photos courtesy of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Destination Cleveland and Downtown Cleveland Alliance
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