Restaurant Bingo to help local eateries

In an effort to help restaurants in Peterborough, the town’s community and economic development office is launching Peterborough Restaurant Bingo at the end of the week.

Karen Hatcher, community and economic development coordinator in Peterborough, said the promotion is an effort to help eating establishments that have struggled under the coronavirus guidelines and the fact that some are choosing to stay away from restaurants, creating an economic hardship across the industry.

Eleven Peterborough locations signed up for the “town-wide promotion to help our restaurants stay viable through the winter season of Covid-19.” And the best part about it is that it doesn’t cost the consumers or restaurants anything to participate.

All consumers have to do is spend a minimum of $10 on take-out, dine-in, gift card or merchandise purchases to earn one stamp per visit. Get five stamps vertically, horizontally or diagonally and the completed card can be turned in for a chance to win a prize every two weeks during the promotion, which began last Friday and goes through Dec. 31.

“You can play as many cards as you want to play,” Hatcher said.

Hatcher said the idea started with just takeout, but the idea to expand the ways people could participate will only help the restaurants.

“The idea here is to put money into the business coffers however people are comfortable with,” she said.

Hatcher said the hope is that there will be another round of funding that restaurants can take advantage of through the state’s CARES Act funding, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.

“Hopefully that’s forthcoming,” she said, with about $200 million remaining that must be expended by the end of 2020. Hatcher said that during weekly calls with that state she has been providing information from the local level about the business sectors that continue to struggle, and that includes restaurants.

“It’s a major part of our economic picture,” she said.

And with winter approaching, they are going to need all the help they can get.

“It’s recognizing the restaurants are going to have a hard time,” she said. “And I’m really hopeful that everyone will get the message that we really need to do this.”

Hatcher said the costs associated with the promotion, including printing and prizes, will be covered through municipal reimbursement through the CARES Act.

“This is seen as an expense to deal with COVID,” she said.

Because the end goal is to keep the restaurants going through what has already been a difficult six-plus months.

“We want them to at least have a chance when we come out of this,” Hatcher said.

Participating restaurants include: Aesop’s Tables, Beepa and Lulu’s Restaurant, Chef Bank’s Thai Café, De Olla Burritos, Harlow’s Pub, Kogetsu Restaurant, Nature’s Green Grocer Market & Café, Nonie’s Restaurant & Bakery, Pancho’s Pizza, Post & Beam Brewing, and Waterhouse Restaurant.

For more, email community@peterboroughnh.gov.