Campaign Launched to Help Restaurants Amid Wheeling Construction
Panhandle Cleaning Offers $1K Prize to Winning Supporter in Spring Drawing
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WHEELING - A new incentive is in place to help restaurants in downtown Wheeling that are being impacted by the widespread construction of the Downtown Streetscape Project.
While the city of Wheeling has proposed a relief package that includes a temporary tax break and lost revenue replacement for eligible businesses, Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration is sponsoring an incentive campaign in an effort to keep patrons frequenting downtown restaurants - despite the inconvenience of the construction zones.
"Obviously, anyone who has been to the downtown area knows that it’s a mess," said Bob Heldreth, vice president of marketing for Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration. "It’s going to be beautiful when it’s completed, but until it is, the downtown businesses need our help. Now is the time to support them. If we can help, we want to do so in any way we can."
Participants in the incentive program will not only help keep business flowing at several participating downtown restaurants, they will also be eligible to enter a drawing to win $1,000 in the coming spring.
Those downtown Wheeling restaurants that are participating in the incentive campaign include Avenue Eats, DiCarlo’s Pizza, Elle & Jack’s, Mugshots, River City, Tito’s, The Belgian Waffle Shop, Vagabond Kitchen, Taqueria 304, The Bridge Tavern, Public Market, Table 304 and Panda Chinese Kitchen.
"Eat at six or more of those 13 downtown restaurants," Heldreth said. "You get a stamp on a loyalty card at each participating location."
Barista Lauren Erwin makes a specialty coffee drink at Mugshots in downtown Wheeling on Wednesday. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
There’s no need to mail the cards to Panhandle after six or more stamps are collected. Heldreth said participants can just leave their card at the last restaurant they visit. When the contest period closes at the end of March, representatives from Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration will go around and collect all of the loyalty cards from the downtown restaurants.
Cards will be checked for validity, and a drawing will take place April 1 (not a joke!) and be broadcast via Facebook Live on Panhandle’s official Facebook page. The winner will receive $1,000, with the cash grand prize sponsored by Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration.
Participants are urged to visit different restaurants during the contest period, as each participating site will have a different colored stamp to place on the loyalty cards. While campaign participants can only get one stamp per restaurant, they are encouraged to revisit their favorite downtown eateries as frequently as they can in 2024, as well as the other downtown businesses, retailers and other non-restaurant eateries and shops that don’t have sit-down dining capabilities.
"Hopefully, most participants will end up trying out one or more of these restaurants for the first time and discover something that’s new to them," Heldreth said.
Crews from Triton Construction continue work on a storm sewer installation on Market Street outside of the Vagabond Kitchen on Wednesday as part of the ongoing Downtown Streetscape Project. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Organizers intended to kick off the dining incentive campaign at the first of the year, but Heldreth noted that most of the restaurants have their loyalty cards already, so the participation period can begin immediately.
A number of downtown businesses were already stamping loyalty cards on Wednesday.
"It’s such a blessing," said Tara Kobasko of The Belgian Waffle Shop. "It’s really sweet that Panhandle went out of their way to do something like this. I think that’s how local businesses should be, and that’s how we want to be, too - to be able to support other businesses in the area and give back to the community. I just think it’s phenomenal."
Panhandle encourages everyone to help the cause, boasting the mantra of "let’s conquer the cones, support local businesses and make a real impact on our community" by boosting restaurant patronage with the new incentive campaign.
The city of Wheeling is also set to hear a second reading and take a final vote on legislation to create a relief program for all small businesses in the affected area downtown. The proposed program will give a total of 21 small businesses in the impacted area - restaurants and other retailers - a break on the Business & Occupation Tax during the construction period. Those eligible businesses can also receive up to $10,000 in lost revenue relief if the legislation is approved during the first Wheeling City Council meeting of the year.
Tara Kobasko of The Belgian Waffle Shop operates in the heart of the Market Street construction zone as the Downtown Streetscape Project continues. Kobasko said The Belgian Waffle Shop tries to support other local businesses by buying its ingredients locally, and she said they truly appreciate Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration for stepping up to help by initiating the dining incentive campaign for restaurants impacted by the streetscape construction. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Dining incentive campaign loyalty cards can be found at any of the participating restaurants in downtown Wheeling. Patrons who dine at at least six of these local businesses will receive an entry for a chance to win $1,000 this spring in the campaign, sponsored by Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration. (Photo by Eric Ayres)