June 25, 2024
City Council
DATE: June 25, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Economic Development Commissioners
Council Member Cesar Zepeda
Subject: Presentation of the Economic Development Commission’s Vision for Taste of Richmond 2024
FINANCIAL IMPACT: $10,000
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
December 5, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Economic Development Commission will be
transforming the annual Taste of Richmond event from a
single-day format into a week-long Restaurant Week to
better support local small business restaurants. The
current format imposes significant costs on participating restaurants without compensation, exacerbated by rising post-pandemic expenses. The new event will include
comprehensive marketing, community engagement
activities, and partnerships with local organizations to drive sustained economic benefits and community
participation.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: RECEIVE a presentation from the Economic Development Commission on the new direction and
vision for the 2024 Taste of Richmond; and request an
appropriation in the amount of $10,000 to help support
the 2024 Taste of Richmond event – Councilmember
Cesar Zepeda (510-620-6593).
AGENDA
REPORT
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June 25, 2024
DISCUSSION:
The Economic Development Commission has successfully hosted and organized the Taste of Richmond event, showcasing small business restaurants in Richmond for several years. This event has been supported by the Richmond Main Street Initiative (RMSI) as its fiscal sponsor, a partnership that will continue. The proposed expansion aims to transform the current one-day Taste of Richmond event into a week-long celebration titled Restaurant Week, to be held the second week in September 2024.
Taste of Richmond, in its current format, is a single-day event where small business restaurants showcase their food and business. The Economic Development Commission has raised a critical question about the long-term support this event provides to the restaurants. Specifically, there are concerns regarding whether the current format encourages post-event patronage and its overall economic impact.
While food at the event is free for attendees (with entry tickets being the only cost), participating restaurants bear significant costs without receiving compensation for the food provided. This financial burden is exacerbated by post-pandemic increases in food, lease, and operational costs—food costs have risen by 13.2 percent, and labor costs by
15.1 percent1.
To address these challenges and enhance support for local restaurants, the Economic Development Commission proposes extending Taste of Richmond into a week-long event, Restaurant Week. The new format will include:
Events at Selected Restaurants: Hosting events across various local restaurants throughout the week.
Comprehensive Marketing Plan: This will spotlight local restaurants through social media campaigns, a dedicated website, and coverage in local and Bay Area news.
Community Engagement Activities: These will include DJ performances, interactive conversations with restaurant owners (termed "Chop it Ups"), and games to foster community participation.
Collaborations and Partnerships: Engagement with various organizations such as CoBiz, RMSI, YouthWorks, Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the City of Richmond, Renaissance Center, and Empower Soul Studios will be essential. Taste of Richmond Magazine: Both digital and hard copies will be created, featuring local eateries, "Best of Richmond" winners, advertisements (to generate revenue for the Economic Development Commission to support future events), coupons, and stories of restaurant owners.
The transformation of Taste of Richmond into Restaurant Week is a strategic initiative to provide sustained support to Richmond's small business restaurants, driving economic
1 National Restaurant Association
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June 25, 2024
growth and community engagement. This new format intends to deliver a more impactful and inclusive event, fostering a stronger local economy and a vibrant culinary scene in Richmond.
By adopting this new format, the Economic Development Commission aims to ensure long-term benefits for local restaurants and create a more engaging, communitycentered celebration.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Taste of Richmond 2024 Presentation
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Taste
R E S T A U R A N T W E E K
E c o n o m i c D e v e l o p m e n t
C o m i s s i o n
Richmond
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Taste of Richmond
In our May meeting and in our Subcommittee meeting, it was asked, “What is the economic impact that Taste of Richmond has for our small business restaurants in our city?”
We know that the festival brings an amazing turn out to whatever central location that we choose. However, are the people visiting those establishments?
Is the event providing long term support to the
restaurants currently serving the city of Richmond?
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Taking the cost of business into
consideration.
Food is generally free for TOR, but there is
still costs associated to providing bites.
C o s t s v s . B e n e f i t s
Food costs, leases, and operations costs for food businesses have skyrocketed “post”-COVID 19' making participation in TOR a challenge for our businesses.
According to the National Restaurant Association, 88% of food operators are witnessing a food/operations cost increase significantly higher from 2019 with only an 8% menu cost increase.
13.2%
Whole Food Cost
Increase
15.1%
Labor Cost
Increase
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Taste of
Richmond:
Restaurant Week
For a week, we make intentional efforts to promote as many Richmond restaurants as possible with events at selected restaurants, social media campaigns, dedicated website, local/bay area news coverage, and more.
As a collective, we have all voiced deep interest in supporting our residents and local businesses through various programs, policies, and changes we want to see in the city. This is an opportunity to facilitate and ignite a new way of doing business in the City of Richmond.
A week of Events & Promotions for our Food Businesses
Alignment to our goals.
I T T A K E S A
V I L L A G E Although we want to see more of
everything in our city, it is important to
set a tone for the support we will
provide to people that already make a
home here.
Support where it matters.
A restaurant is a place that people visit
to look for various kinds of food and
drinks. Restaurants usually also present
thei uniqueness.
Collaboration
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Restaurant Buy-in
We want to curate a full marketing roll-out that includes social media, a dedicated webpage to the event, local news, city-wide collaborations, and more to spotlight our restaurants. The intention is to show fullsupport of our small businesses.
Marketing Campaigns
Events
The goal is to hold special events in the restaurants around the city of Richmond to encourage residents/visitors to know and patronize these spaces. We can have DJs, Chop it Ups (conversations with the restaurant owners), games, etc. to encourage community participation.
We have a lot of new places to be in Richmond, let’s get them into it. 1838
We imagine building a bridge in business with different departments, the city council, nonprofits, and small business service provides to support this initative.
Collaboration is crucial to pull
this off.
T H E V I L L A G E
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Youth will have the opportunity to support our efforts
in TOR:
• Project Management
• Content Creation
• Event Planning
• Marketing
• Social Media Management
• And More...
Project-Based Richmond Mainstreet has already gone
through the process to hire Youth Works
Students, so we would hire additional
Youth through them.
Hiring Youth
Contracted as the fiscal sponsor this year
and will continue to hold that role.
Fiscal Sposor
An opportunity to give our youth
the chance to contribute to their
Hometown in a big way.
Internships
Train the Village
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Best of Richmond
In it’s first edition, we want to create a TOR Magazine (Digital/Hard Copy) that highlights eateries around the city including “Best of Richmond” winners. This book will contain advertising opportunities (revenue generation for the EDC), coupons for discounts, stories of owners, etc.
TOR Magazine
Richmond Chamber of Commerce has done an amazing job with “Best of Richmond” and we want to further incorporate that initiative into Taste of Richmond. 1841
Event Details
• Early September (1st or 2nd Week)
• Monday - Sunday
• TOR Launch: Monday (Full Marketing)
• Potential Events: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday • Hardcopy/Digital Booklet Release: Week Before TOR
Everything presented is drafted and not set in stone.
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Thank You
T A S T E O F R I C H M O N D
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