Client Spotlight: Spotluck Saves Downtown Leesburg
If you have the best lamb chops in town, and nobody’s there to eat them, are they the best?
That’s the dilemma independent restaurant owners in downtown Leesburg, Virginia faced when they noticed a 30 to 35 percent decrease in foot traffic and sales for the first time in seven years, WTOP Radio and WTOP.com reports. The once booming historic neighborhood is losing patrons to two nearby walkable mixed-used developments, which often include chain restaurants with more visibility and marketing dollars.
To fight against the sharp drop in business, Leesburg’s independent restaurant owners like Bryan Crosswhite have turned to Spotluck dining app, a suggestion made by neighboring retailer.
Now coming soon to downtown Leesburg, Spotluck offers discounts at nearly 250 locally-owned restaurants in more than close to two dozen neighborhoods, or “hubs,” in D.C., Maryland and Virginia like Georgetown, Bethesda Row and Clarendon. App users get one spin each day in each hub. After a spin, hungry diners are offered up to a 35 percent discount at a randomly-selected, but certified local restaurant. Discounts fluctuate based on day, time, weather and other factors that affect occupancy.
Spotluck goes beyond filling seats in local restaurants. It creates a neighborhood buzz that all local business owners can benefit from. according to Spotluck co-founder and CEO Cherian Thomas. It’s about Spotluck co-founder and CEO Cherian Thomas.
“It’s about local, it’s about being part of a community,” says Thomas. “It’s about marketing with your neighbors, because a busy block is good for the entire neighborhood.”
With the help of Spotluck, the tables are turning for downtown historic Leesburg. “This is the only way we’re going to survive, if we promote each other’s restaurants,” says Crosswhite. “In return, we’re going to see foot traffic in our community.”
Read the full story on WTOP.com or listen below:
