Partnership Boosts Restaurant Industry

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA'S A MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATION WITH PRISTINE BEACHES AND ATTRACTIONS BRINGING IN VISITORS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE AND TO HELP BOLSTER THAT EFFORT. THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY IS VITAL TO THE AREAS ECONOMIC HEALTH. HOWEVER, THE END OF SUMMER CAN MEAN SOME SLOW BUSINESS FOR THE DINING INDUSTRY AND TO ALLEVIATE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYEES, SOCIAL BINDING PARTNERED WITH RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE REGION TO BRING IN CUSTOMERS HUNGRY ONES DURING THE SLOW SEASON WHO USED EDDIE BYRNE HAS MORE. >> WELL, JOINING US NOW IS GUY CLARK, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SIZZLE DINING. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SO I GUESS WE HAVE TO GET TO IT. >> THINGS HAVE WRAPPED UP THEIR. HOW DID EVERYTHING GO THIS YEAR FOR SIZZLE DINING? EVERYTHING WENT REALLY WELL THIS YEAR. WE SURPRISINGLY WE >> HAD A GOAL OF 100,000 DINNERS TO BE SOLD THIS YEAR AND WE DID 105,655. SO WE BLEW THROUGH THAT. THANKS TO EVERYBODY GOING OUT IN EXTRA TIME. >> AND THEN I UNDERSTAND IS WE'RE TALKING THAT THIS KIND OF CAME DOWN TO THE WIRE THIS YEAR THERE. BUT YOU STILL WERE ABLE TO GET ACROSS THAT FINISH LINE. >> YEAH, THAT IT DID. >> IT WAS DOWN TO LIKE THE LAST 13 RESTAURANTS THAT WERE REPORTING BACK TO ME. THEIR NUMBERS. >> AND WE WERE LIKE 97,098 1099 1000. AND THEN THERE'S ONE RESTAURANT GROUP, A GROUP HE KNOWS HE SAW BARBARA TELE. THEY REPORTED THEIR NUMBERS AND HAD BREAKFAST THIS YEAR AND HELP IS REALLY JUST KIND OF BREACH THAT NUMBER. WE HAD 100,000. THEN THE REST OF THEM CAME IN. WE WERE ABLE TO GO AND THEN SURPRISINGLY, THERE'S A RESTAURANT THAT'S NOT EVEN OPEN YET. BUCHAN RIDER, THEY CALLED UP AND SAID, LOOK, WE WANT TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE'RE NOT OPEN YET. WE WILL DONATE MATCH WHATEVER THE AVERAGE WAS. SO WE RECEIVED ANOTHER $766 DONATION BECAUSE THEY JUST WANT TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT REALLY HELPED US HIT THAT 105,000 GOAL. >> SO NOW THIS IS A MILESTONE YEAR FOR YOU. THIS THE 10 YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING THIS. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THIS EVOLVE IN THAT DECADE? NOW? >> I MEAN, THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION IS IT'S EVOLVED FROM, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED AT 11 DAYS WITH 26 RESTAURANTS. WE'RE USED TO BE TWICE THE YEAR RIGHT AFTER MOTHER'S DAY, RIGHT AFTER THANKSGIVING. THEN WE WENT TO 3 WEEKS THAN IN 2020. WE HAD TO KIND OF RETHINK EVERYTHING. 2021, WE CAME BACK ONCE A YEAR IN SEPTEMBER 3 WEEKS. SO THEN WE WENT TO 3 WEEKS. SO WE WENT TO 4 WEEKS AND FINALLY WENT TO THE ENTIRE MONTH. SO IT'S EVOLVED. TIME WISE. IT'S EVOLVED. WHAT TIME OF YEAR IT'S BEEN. BUT THE UNDERLYING WHAT THE EVENT IS ALWAYS STAYED THE SAME, HOPING THE RESTAURANT AND HELPING FEED THE KIDS WITH BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK. >> AND THEN HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GET BACK TO AN ORGANIZATION LIKE BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK? BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY SWEATED OUT THERE DOWN THE STRETCH, BUT NOW YOU'RE ABLE TO HIT THE GO. YOU WANTED TO AND DELIVER ON THE PROMISES YOU MADE TO A GREAT ORGANIZATION. >> IT'S DEFINITELY A RELIEF KNOWING THAT YOU'VE HIT YOUR GOAL. AND HE SAID THIS IN VICIOUS SCHOOL MONTHS AND MONTHS AHEAD OF TIME, NOT KNOWING WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, NOT ONLY REMEMBER HURRICANE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN. YOU DON'T KNOW. YOU JUST SET THIS GOAL AND GO FOR IT. IT'S A FANTASTIC FEELING TO BE ABLE TO SAY, HEY, ALL OF THAT HARD WORK. NOT ONLY IS IT HELPING THE COMPANY GROW, BUT WE'RE HELPING FEED THESE KIDS AND THAT THAT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING YOU CAN'T EVEN REALLY DESCRIBE. IT'S JUST SUCH A GREAT FEELING. AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THINGS, YOU KNOW. >> WHEN YOU'RE HOLDING THIS EVENT, IT'S TYPICALLY A DOWN PERIOD FOR RESTAURANTS DOWN HERE. PEOPLE ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, FIGURING OTHER THINGS OUT. BUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT YOU'RE HAVING, ESPECIALLY ON RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, IT WAS. >> BIG NUMBERS AS YOU WERE SHARING WITH ME. ABSOLUTELY. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT WAS SHOCKING WHEN WE REALLY TOOK A LOOK AT IT. WHEN YOU ADD UP, HOW MANY DINNERS FOOL YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT THE AVERAGE DINNER IS. YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. YOU FACTOR IN A LITTLE BIT FOR LIQUOR. YOU FACTOR BEVERAGE SALES. I TAKE 3 TO 4 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR THAT THIS HAS AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE RESTAURANTS, EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE RESTAURANT FROM THE LINENS TO THE UNIFORMS WHEN THE RESTAURANT IS BUSY OR THAT STUFF, THEY GO THROUGH. MORE OF THAT. SO THAT HELPS INCREASE THEIR SPENDING, WHICH HELPS THE OTHER VENDORS MAKE MONEY. THE MICROGREENS, THE MUSHROOM. THE DISHWASHER GETS MORE HOURS. I MEAN, IT JUST GOES ON AND ON. IT'S STAGGERING. SO NOW. >> LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR, YOU ALREADY HAVE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE GIVING, YOU KNOW, TO THE ORGANIZATION BEFORE THEY'RE EVEN OPEN. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING AS THIS GROWS INTO NEXT YEAR'S CELEBRATION? >> WELL, NEXT YEAR, WE HAVEN'T REALLY FIGURED OUT WHAT OUR GOAL IS GOING TO BE AT. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME AND ANALYZE ALL THE DATA FROM THIS YEAR. BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA COME BACK BIGGER AND STRONGER. EVERY YEAR WE TRY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING WE'RE REALLY GOING TO FOCUS ON NEXT YEAR'S LUNCHES AND PROBABLY BREAKFAST AS WELL AS SOMETHING WE INTRODUCED THIS YEAR. REALLY SOFTLY. BUT IN THE LUNCH MARKET ALONE, WE HAD A LITTLE OVER 10,000 PEOPLE GO OUT FOR SAYS A LUNCH, BUT 90,000 PEOPLE WENT OUT FOR SIZZLE DINNER. SO THERE'S A HUGE DISPARITY BETWEEN THERE. BUT THE RESTAURANTS ARE STILL OPEN FACE TO FACE TO LEAD HOPE. THEY STILL NEED THE CUSTOMERS. SO IF WE CAN USE SIZZLES THE CATALYST TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THEIR LUNCHES, THEY'RE GOING TO BE HAPPIER WITH THE EVENT. WE'RE GOING TO RAISE MORE MONEY FOR THE CHARITY. IT COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU. WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING THE BIGGER THING THAT I THINK IS TRYING TO INCREASE HOW THE EVENT ECONOMICALLY IMPACTS THE COMMUNITY. IF WE GET MORE PEOPLE TO GO OUT TO RESTAURANTS, BECOME MORE BUSIER. THE RESTAURANTS HAVE TO SPEND MORE LOCALLY AND THE LOCAL SERVERS. EVERYBODY MAKES MORE MONEY. AND THAT'S JUST A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY. >> CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SUCCESS FOR THIS YEAR. BEST OF LUCK IN THE FUTURE. A GUY CLARK WITH SIZZLE DINING, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU. THANK