We’ve crunched the numbers, and a total of $951,197 was injected into the local economy throughout the duration of the Buy Local Bonus and Eat Local Bonus programs over the past few months.
The SLO Chamber of Commerce partnered with the City of San Luis Obispo for the third year in a row on Buy Local Bonus, a program that rewarded shoppers who spent money at local retailers beginning Black Friday through December 24, 2022. Additionally, in January 2023 the City and the Chamber came together again for Eat Local Bonus, a similar program that focused on local dining during a month that tends to be slow for the restaurant industry.
“Opting to spend dollars locally is the best way community members can support our SLO businesses,” said Jim Dantona, President/CEO of the SLO Chamber. “We were proud to once again partner with the City of San Luis Obispo to bolster the local economy and support our doers and dreamers.”
Both the Buy Local Bonus and Eat Local Bonus sold out ahead of schedule, exhausting the funds put in by the City, and incentivizing almost a million dollars in local spending.
“Thank you to everyone who committed to spending locally and made this program a success,” said Molly Cano, Tourism Manager with the City of SLO. “Supporting our local economy is a joint effort between the community and the City, and we are so grateful supporting local business is such a priority here for so many.”
To incentivize the local spending, the City invested $125,000 in gift cards to local retailers and dining establishments. Shoppers and diners spent a cumulative total of $826,197 over 8,588 receipts, which, when combined with the City’s investment, resulted in $951,197 in direct local spending.
“We saw many benefits from participating in both programs,” said Rammy Aburashed, owner of Seeds and Petra. “We saw an increase in sales, customer loyalty and brand awareness. Customers returned to our restaurants more frequently, spent more money, and expressed a positive experience that motivated them to spread the word about the program.”
5,061 diners and shoppers qualified for the promotions and selected a $25 gift card to one of 184 local businesses.
“I can’t say enough positive things about Buy Local Bonus!” said Kelly Yates, owner of Summerland Co. “As a business owner, I cannot thank the City and the Chamber enough for continuing the program, everybody wins with it!”