On Nov. 17, the Taste of Richmond Hill Business After Hours came to the City Center in Richmond Hill for the sixth year.
Sponsored by Coastal Electric Cooperative and put together by the Richmond Hill/Bryan County Chamber of Commerce, this event was a record breaker, according to RHBC Executive Director Brianne Yontz.
“This year we had a record number of restaurants and caterers at 15, and the attendance, I think, was close to 300,” Yontz said. “It was a wonderful turn out.”
The event was created with the intention of giving local businesses a chance to market themselves and their products to the local community.
“The RHBC Chamber started the event six years ago to showcase the restaurants and caterers available to folks who live in Richmond Hill,” Yontz said.
The ultimate goal of the annual event is to get the community to support local businesses.
Complimentary to Chamber members and only a few dollars to prospective members, the Taste of Richmond Hill featured both new establishments and those that have been around awhile, such as the Smokin’ Pig.
“They keep asking me to come back, and I like giving back,” Smoking Pig owner Kevin Fabre said.
Those who do attend get something in return.
“It’s a very targeted marketing opportunity for the restaurants and caterers, and I think they keep coming back because they want to support the Chamber and let people know there is an array of dining options for them here in Richmond Hill,” Yontz said.
Damien Wyatt of Molly MacPhearson’s Scottish Pub & Grill said, “It’s a good way to get out there and reach people who want to know about our business. I had a couple of people who didn’t know where we were.”
Providing directions and samples for the second year in a row, Wyatt said, “We get to show people our new menu items and some promotions we have going on. It’s also a good way to cross-promote other businesses.”
Husband-and-wife team Erick and Marica Cobra own Three of Us Bread and Bites, a Brazilian bakery and restaurant that recently opened on Ford Avenue in Richmond Hill.
The Cobras decided to join to “come and see how things work, to show our food and that we are open,” explained Erick. “It’s a good marketing opportunity and to see and know new people.”