Downtown Madness in Pueblo, CO, is highlighting the city center dining scene and helping restaurants attract new customers.
Structured much like basketball’s March Madness, this popular campaign pits 16 restaurants against each other in a good-natured elimination-style competition that narrows the brackets down to eight, then four, and finally two, before the “Chompian” is selected.
Bracket phases are themed as well, including Eat 16, Great Ate, and Final Fork.
The competitive nature of the promotion caught the attention of many local media outlets including one lifestyle reporter who covered the event weekly as the competition unfolded.
Customer engagement was also high as the general public cast votes in each bracket. The online voting was handled via the Association’s Survey Monkey account.
The top four Final Fork winning restaurants receive framed certificates to display, while the “Chompian” receives a traveling trophy that changes hands with each new year’s winner.
“The feedback we got last year and again this year is that it brought new people in,” says Margaret Ward-Masias, executive director of the Downtown Pueblo Association. “A lot of our restaurant owners felt they had picked up new customers. It wasn’t just a one-time shot.”
The full article appeared in our print edition. To always get the full story, read Downtown Idea Exchange.
Learn more about Downtown Idea Exchange.