Santa Maria restaurant month begins with businesses looking to cook up sales and deals for diners
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A popular annual promotion at helps cook up restaurant sales as well as provide specia deals for diners in the Santa Maria Valley begins today on Friday, Jan. 10.
"2025 Dine Out Santa Maria Style & Craft Cocktail Contest," a month-long event featuring several local restaurants, is taking place from January 10 through February 9.
"We really hold this in conjunction with our local restaurants as a way to help support them during their slower season," said Molly Alves, Santa Maria Valley Chamber Vice President of Operations and Membership. "This is a way to incentivize our community to go out and maybe try somewhere new."
The yearly promotion is coordinated by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber and is held to help boost sales for restaurants during a time that is typically the slowest of the year.
"It gets the community involved," said Teresa Paredes, Maya Mexican Restaurant owner. "It gets the community more active and out. It gives them a reason to come out during this tough time. I know that during January is always the slowest time for any business, especially after the holidays people tend to overspend and kind of go into a little bit into debt, but we all need to eat, right, so I believe that this is such a huge incentive and a nice way for the community to come out and bring out their families for such a steal of a deal."
In the past, restaurants offered deals with prices matching the year (i.e. $20.24 for the year 2024).
However, this year, restaurants are able to provide special deals of their choosing (i.e. free side with purchase of entree and drink, Buy one, get one free (BOGO) meals, $5 off orders of $30+, etc.).
"Instead of doing a $20.25 special, we recognize with inflation that everything that can kind of limit the options for what specials restaurants can offer," said Alves. "We really opened it up and you'll notice as you visit different local restaurants who are participating, they have a variety of different specials you can try."
Restaurant owners who have participated in the past report the promotion does provide a boost for business during the length of the promotion.
"Everybody's kind of strapped for cash, but sometimes there's birthdays in January and February, and you still got to go out and celebrate," said Shawn Van Pelt, Cool Hand Luke's Steakhouse and Saloon owner "It's helped bring people in and and they can still experience the whole dining out thing with without breaking the bank."
In addition to the Dine Out promotion, the Chamber is also once again hosting its Craft Cocktail Contest for the sixth straight year.
Several participating restaurants in the Dine Out promotion have come up with specially crafted cocktails that are meant to represent the area's history and culture.
At the conclusion of the promotion, a winning cocktail will be determine through a public vote.
"It's got a local flair," said Van Pelt, explaining . "You've got to come in and try it out. We use our local berries, and, it's a tequila based drink. so it's just gives us another little bit of excitement and helps bring people in for the month."
"We are we're doing our original michelada," said Paredes. "Actually this year we're heading back to the good old days. We are known for our award winning michelada and we're doing it again. We are going to enter in for the award winning to let us and actually, we have an incentive for the customers so that they have a chance, if they vote for us, that they'll be able to win tacos for a whole entire year. Of course there's a limit, but they still get to eat as many tacos as they like. They can redeem them all at once, or they can use as many as they like per month."
For more information on 2025 Dine Out Santa Maria Style or the Craft Cocktail Contest, click here to visit the promotional webpage on the Santa Maria Valley Chamber's website.
