LocalEatsandEssentials.com, a website that allows diners to order takeout or curbside pickup from local, independently owned restaurants in two New York counties, launched today.
The website/web app features offerings from diverse establishments such as Yanni’s Too, Simone’s Kitchen and The Cask and Rasher. Users will find they are able to order various dishes from each location all in one transaction. One member of the family may crave Yanni’s award winning calamari, while another may prefer to dine on Taco Tuesday specials from The Cask and Rasher — with Localeatsandessentials.com, that is easily done.
The service was created in a partnership between Capital Region Media Independent Media. publishers of the Ravena (New York) News-Herald and Greenville (New York) Pioneer locally, and City Media of London, Ontario, Canada. It combines cutting-edge technology — allowing establishments to receive online orders and payments via automation, with a full-scale marketing program featuring print ads, online ads on the publications website and social media pages, as well as several digital marketing services/promotions. Altogether, participating restaurants receive over $3,500 monthly in marketing value at no cost. In fact, the establishments only pay a small credit card processing fee to participate in the program. The program is funded through a “restaurant support fee” paid for by the consumer at the time of sale. It ranges from $1-$5, depending upon the amount of the purchase.
City Media CEO Katharine Haine said, “This is a great opportunity to help local restaurants everywhere. In our 'new normal,' restaurants have been forced to rely on takeout orders to stay in business. Until now, this has been a costly option for many independent restaurateurs. Localeatsandessentials.com helps bring in more local customers and keeps operating costs down, ultimately lowering the cost of business for our local restaurants. We all win more local food options is a great thing for our communities!"
Capital Region Independent Media President Mark Vinciguerra said, “We felt very strongly that assisting locally owned, non-chain, independent establishments were essential for the communities’ character. Having these strong local brands add so much to the overall quality of life in our area. In addition, the revenue earned from this product also goes to support local journalism. It is truly the proverbial win-win-win for consumers, the establishments and community media.”
Local Eats and Essentials will be expanding into other market areas over the next few months and working with other local media companies and restaurants to launch this program in their areas. In addition, the program will add more establishments in this inaugural market.
For more information about Local Eats and Essentials, contact Warren Dews, Jr. at wdewsjr@gmail.com, or Mark Vinciguerra at Markvinciguerra@ravenanews.com.
