Originals Do It Again

CAP Creative
741 B Central Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34236
(941) 953-9191

CONTACT:
Roxanne Joffe
E-mail: rjoffe@capcreative.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


ORIGINALS DO IT AGAIN

Sarasota-Manatee Originals to Offer 40% off Dining Certificates for Holidays

Sarasota, FL- Public response to the Sarasota-Manatee Originals first-ever Dining Certificate sale in October was so overwhelming that the group will again offer forty percent savings for a holiday Dining Certificate sale next Thursday, December 8th. Conceived as a promotion to draw attention to their revamped website and new on-line dining guide at www.FreshOriginals.com, the October sale was so popular that most of the fifty dollar certificates were sold before 10AM on the day of the sale.

JP Knaggs, vice president of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals and chef/owner of The Bijou Cafe in downtown Sarasota, said the upcoming sale was planned to coincide with the holiday gift-giving season. “Dining Certificates are always a popular item around the holidays,” said Knaggs “They’re one of the few gifts you can give where the right size and color are not part of the equation—-one size truly does fit all,” he laughed. The Dining Certificates will be sold in fifty and twenty-five dollar denominations for $30 and $15.

“Everyone enjoys going out for a festive dinner,” said Knaggs, “and I suspect a lot of people might even purchase one or two Certificates for their own use.”

The 40% off Dining Certificate sale is one of the ways the Sarasota-Manatee Originals funds their organization.

Certificates will be sold exclusively at www.FreshOriginals.com beginning December 8, 2005.

About the Sarasota-Manatee Originals

The Sarasota-Manatee Originals came into being in September 2003 as a way to celebrate and maintain the heritage and flavors of the independently owned restaurants in the Sarasota region. The upsurge in population growth on Florida’s Gulf Coast attracted the notice of legions of chain restaurants that became determined to grab their slice of the burgeoning dining out trade. With no deference to local culture and a blind eye to regional cuisine, the chain’s number one priority remained the expansion of their bottom line.

Recognizing the economic threat this posed and cognizant of the chain’s deep-pocketed marketing departments, a handful of independent Sarasota restaurateurs decided to organize and work together to protect the heritage flavors of the Sun Coast. The Sarasota-Manatee Originals were born to become Florida’s first local chapter of the Council of Independent Restaurants of America (CIRA). CIRA has chapters in 16 other cities and works tirelessly to preserve a deeply rooted sense of place with commitment to offering the best of local products and indigenous cuisine.

Nowhere is this sense of independence more important than the Sarasota region. Within a twenty-mile radius of downtown Sarasota, there are more Florida Trend Award and Zagat top-scoring restaurants than any other area of the state and every one of this acclaimed coterie is independently owned.

The main goals of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals are:

Increase the awareness level of local residents and visitors about the location and quality of member restaurants

Bolster public awareness of the significant social, economic and charitable contributions the Sarasota-Manatee Originals make to the surrounding community

Educate restaurant goers about the differences between chains and independents

Improve the economic viability of independent restaurants by combining buying power to obtain pricing levels compatible to those available to national chains

The Originals have roots in the Sarasota region—-many delighting locals and visitors for twenty to thirty years—-and have established a culinary heritage that simply can’t be replicated in the corporate kitchens of Chicago, Los Angeles, or Dallas.


The Sarasota-Manatees Originals have quickly grown from the few nascent visionaries to a 50+ restaurant stronghold. For more information and a list of member restaurants with links to their websites, please visit www.FreshOriginals.com.




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