Who's your neighbor?
Drink, eat, relax in South Florida at a good price
By YUDY PINEIRO
ypineiro@MiamiHerald.com
Although federal government officials say the end of the recession is near, people are still feeling the punch, especially those in South Florida -- one of the hardest hit areas.
Business owners are riding out the tough times, too, but continue to lure customers this summer by offering so-called ``recession friendly'' deals.
The specials seem to be working like a charm on cost-conscious consumers looking for breaks on high-quality meals, goods and services.
Take gal pals Vivian Padron and Lissette Perez, both 29 and from Miami, who originally were drawn to Bin no. 18, a downtown Miami bistro and lounge, because of its free wine tastings every Thursday. Before long, they were ordering meals and bottles of wine.
``Now we've been coming here almost every Thursday for eight months,'' said Padron on a recent Thursday night. ``We've even closed down the place several times.''
Restaurant manager Fernando Heria said during tough times businesses must offer more than just quality to get people in the door and keep them coming back. That's how the wine tastings and the more popular ``bailout beer'' ideas were born.
``Bin no. 18 is proud to help in this economic meltdown that we are all experiencing, and offer our bailout beer program. We are serving $4 pints till the economy gets better,'' reads a newsletter regularly blasted to customers. The beer offered varies from week to week.
Perez said she used to dine in fine restaurants all the time, but after the economy took a hit on her pocketbook, she limited it to once a week and started searching for places that offered value deals.
``If we're going to spend money somewhere, it's going to be here.''
Typing in ``deals'' into any Internet search engine or visiting the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau site will point you to more discounts. Listed below are a few:
• In what they're calling a ``Recession Roast,'' the Starbucks at 303 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. at The Westin Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale offers a free tall brewed or iced coffee to anybody who shows up on the way to a job interview, sporting a suit and résumé. The offer ends Aug. 31.
• The Miami Improv, 3390 Mary St., blasts text messages to subscribers almost weekly offering free comedy show tickets. The one Friday read, ``Eddie Griffin is giving back to Miami! The economy is tough which is why he is offering a 2-for-1 special to the first 50 callers.''
• National chain restaurants are also doing their part with Applebee's promoting a ``2 for $20'' deal where two people can share one appetizer and two entrees of their choice. Chili's offers the same promotion at the same price but throws in a dessert. Fast-food joint Arby's offers free food, shakes and drinks during Wednesday Freebies.
• Spa lovers can enjoy a $65 massage -- valued at $100 -- at The Spa at Shula's Hotel in Miami Lakes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
``This deal is for people who are really passionate in taking care of themselves, but who are more budget conscious and flexible in their schedule,'' said spa director Linda Higgs. ``It's a win-win situation because we're drawing people on off-days.''
The Spa at Shula's is also one of 30 local spas participating in the second annual Miami Spa Month, which offers customers $99 treatments through the end of August. At the start of the month, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau also kicked off the eighth annual Miami Spice, during which Miami's top restaurants offer three-course meals on a budget -- lunch costs $22; dinner is $35.
Because of the economic situation, Rolando Aedo, senior vice president of marketing for the bureau, said they weren't sure what kind of response to expect from restaurants, but they landed a record number of participants, 115 restaurants up from 105 last year.
``Not only does that speak to the urgency of the situation but also that they see this program as adding some kind of value,'' he said of the offer that ends Sept. 30.
For those looking for more than meals, the tourism office suggests checking out the 443 program, which gives people four for the price of three at local businesses including hotels and attractions. The offers run through Labor Day. Among the deals: Buy three general park admission tickets to Jungle Island and get one of equal or lesser value at no charge, rent three hours with Ocean Drive Limousine and get the fourth free, admission for four guests for the price of three at Mansion nightclub.
``It's kind of our own version of a local economic stimulus program,'' Aedo said. ``We have to take care of our own, especially as we get through these times.''
Full Article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/communities/story/120100...
ypineiro@MiamiHerald.com
Although federal government officials say the end of the recession is near, people are still feeling the punch, especially those in South Florida -- one of the hardest hit areas.
Business owners are riding out the tough times, too, but continue to lure customers this summer by offering so-called ``recession friendly'' deals.
The specials seem to be working like a charm on cost-conscious consumers looking for breaks on high-quality meals, goods and services.
Take gal pals Vivian Padron and Lissette Perez, both 29 and from Miami, who originally were drawn to Bin no. 18, a downtown Miami bistro and lounge, because of its free wine tastings every Thursday. Before long, they were ordering meals and bottles of wine.
``Now we've been coming here almost every Thursday for eight months,'' said Padron on a recent Thursday night. ``We've even closed down the place several times.''
Restaurant manager Fernando Heria said during tough times businesses must offer more than just quality to get people in the door and keep them coming back. That's how the wine tastings and the more popular ``bailout beer'' ideas were born.
``Bin no. 18 is proud to help in this economic meltdown that we are all experiencing, and offer our bailout beer program. We are serving $4 pints till the economy gets better,'' reads a newsletter regularly blasted to customers. The beer offered varies from week to week.
Perez said she used to dine in fine restaurants all the time, but after the economy took a hit on her pocketbook, she limited it to once a week and started searching for places that offered value deals.
``If we're going to spend money somewhere, it's going to be here.''
Typing in ``deals'' into any Internet search engine or visiting the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau site will point you to more discounts. Listed below are a few:
• In what they're calling a ``Recession Roast,'' the Starbucks at 303 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. at The Westin Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale offers a free tall brewed or iced coffee to anybody who shows up on the way to a job interview, sporting a suit and résumé. The offer ends Aug. 31.
• The Miami Improv, 3390 Mary St., blasts text messages to subscribers almost weekly offering free comedy show tickets. The one Friday read, ``Eddie Griffin is giving back to Miami! The economy is tough which is why he is offering a 2-for-1 special to the first 50 callers.''
• National chain restaurants are also doing their part with Applebee's promoting a ``2 for $20'' deal where two people can share one appetizer and two entrees of their choice. Chili's offers the same promotion at the same price but throws in a dessert. Fast-food joint Arby's offers free food, shakes and drinks during Wednesday Freebies.
• Spa lovers can enjoy a $65 massage -- valued at $100 -- at The Spa at Shula's Hotel in Miami Lakes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
``This deal is for people who are really passionate in taking care of themselves, but who are more budget conscious and flexible in their schedule,'' said spa director Linda Higgs. ``It's a win-win situation because we're drawing people on off-days.''
The Spa at Shula's is also one of 30 local spas participating in the second annual Miami Spa Month, which offers customers $99 treatments through the end of August. At the start of the month, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau also kicked off the eighth annual Miami Spice, during which Miami's top restaurants offer three-course meals on a budget -- lunch costs $22; dinner is $35.
Because of the economic situation, Rolando Aedo, senior vice president of marketing for the bureau, said they weren't sure what kind of response to expect from restaurants, but they landed a record number of participants, 115 restaurants up from 105 last year.
``Not only does that speak to the urgency of the situation but also that they see this program as adding some kind of value,'' he said of the offer that ends Sept. 30.
For those looking for more than meals, the tourism office suggests checking out the 443 program, which gives people four for the price of three at local businesses including hotels and attractions. The offers run through Labor Day. Among the deals: Buy three general park admission tickets to Jungle Island and get one of equal or lesser value at no charge, rent three hours with Ocean Drive Limousine and get the fourth free, admission for four guests for the price of three at Mansion nightclub.
``It's kind of our own version of a local economic stimulus program,'' Aedo said. ``We have to take care of our own, especially as we get through these times.''
Full Article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/communities/story/120100...
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