Vendor’s Donation Aids Restaurants’ Marketing Push
Mabee Steps Down As Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Head
Tanya Rodrigues
A holiday marketing campaign for local restaurants recently doubled to $50,000, with a donation from a major vendor in town.
Sysco Food Services of San Diego, Inc., a subsidiary of Houston-based Sysco Corp., made the donation earlier this month.
The campaign, called “Give the Gift of San Diego,” was created because many restaurants in town have experienced a sharp decline in business in recent months as a result of the slumping economy and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Many restaurants have experienced a 10-50 percent decline in business, according to the California Restaurant Association’s local chapter, which coordinated the campaign.
The marketing program is trying to have local consumers buy gift certificates for San Diego eateries and give them as holiday gifts.
The promotional push consists of radio and newspaper advertisements. Mayor Dick Murphy helped launch the campaign Dec. 6.
Rich Friedlen, president of Sysco’s San Diego operations, said the campaign is “necessary.”
In a release sent out by the restaurant association, Friedlen said, “We understand the importance of the restaurant industry growing and remaining healthy for all of San Diego.”
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A New Run: A decision will made early next year about a new chairman of the board for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
After nearly a quarter-century, former chairman John C. Mabee is stepping down. Mabee, 80, is expected to become a “director emeritus” in January.
He became president of the racing club in 1978, and in 1990 became the group’s chairman and oversaw a rebuilding of the track’s facilities that cost $80 million.
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Sponsor Search: The Del Mar Fairgrounds, officially began soliciting naming rights sponsors this month. The 22nd District Agricultural Association, which operates the 350-acre property, announced plans to seek a sponsor in May.
According to spokesman Steve Fiebing, the staff has sent out 300 letters to possible sponsors. They’ve gotten quite a few calls of interest, Fiebing said.
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Checking In: A new menu will soon be in place at Henry’s Pub. The Gaslamp Quarter bar and restaurant recently brought in a new chef and manager, husband and wife Aki and Susa Nikula, who are reworking the menu. New entr & #233;es are in store, and so are desserts. The new menu will be launched next month. The Convention Center Corp. is now selling a new book on the recent $216 million expansion project. The book, called “The San Diego Convention Center Expansion,” costs $25 for a hard cover copy and $18 for soft covers. The project has been in the works since 1998, when a photographer was hired to document the construction. With its Panda Cam, the San Diego Zoo offered online viewing of the progress of famous panda Hua Mei, now two years old, and other pandas. Earlier this month, the Zoological Society started streaming live images from the Polar Bear Plunge. A culinary fundraiser in town recently netted $17,000. Gastronomically Correct, an event featuring 11 local chefs who have cooked at the James Beard House, a prestigious center in the restaurant industry, took place a couple of months ago. The money is expected to help fund a scholarship for the child of a food service worker who died in the Sept. 11 tragedy.
The deadline for the next Tourism & Hospitality column is Jan. 3. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 107, or via e-mail at trodrigues@sdbj.com.
