More than $1.2 million is in the tills of CBD and North Adelaide hospitality operators following the completion of the $30 Eats campaign.
$30 Eats was funded by the State Government of South Australia and the City of Adelaide, each contributing $250,000 towards the incentive.
The initiative was delivered and promoted by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA).
Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said the $30 Eats campaign supported hundreds of businesses in the CBD and North Adelaide.
“The $30 voucher scheme brought thousands of customers to city and North Adelaide hospitality venues - putting $1.2 million into their businesses - and representing a more than 2.1 return on our investment,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The hospitality sector has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic and Council will continue to do everything we can to help them recover.”
“The hospitality sector has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic and Council will continue to do everything we can to help them recover," Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor
$30 Eats was a part of the ADL Unleashed campaign, which was designed to drive visitation to the CBD and North Adelaide.
Diners entered a ballot in February to win one of 25,000 vouchers up for grabs, with 45 people per minute signing up in the first 24 hours. In total, 97,799 people entered the ballot.
The businesses with the most redemptions were 18 Street Hot Pot, Strathmore Hotel, Sushi Train Central Market Station, Beyond India North Adelaide and Star House Chinese restaurant.
AEDA Managing Director Ian Hill said feedback from the campaign had been overwhelmingly positive.
“Our data shows that 86 per cent of the traders involved agreed that the $30 Eats promotion had a positive impact on their business,” Mr Hill said.
“78 per cent of participating businesses, some that were really feeling the pinch of the pandemic, said the promotion brought them new customers and that is fantastic for repeat business.
“Small businesses, which include hospitality operators, are the lifeblood of our city and economy, and we are committed to making sure they thrive and survive as we live with COVID-19.”
The Strathmore Hotel Managing Director David Basheer said the campaign brought people back to the hotel and, each week, there would be more vouchers redeemed than the last.
“It became very important because it got people coming into the city and into our venue — we definitely saw repeat customers after they used the voucher,” Mr Basheer said.
“It became a real centerpiece of our business strategy that period.”
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