Make Brochures For Better Business ExposureThere are 47 restaurants and fast-food eateries within the Homestead-Florida City area, and Leadership South Dade wants to point them out. The group has published a brochure sample identifying the restaurants, giving some history about each business, a menu sampling, a range of prices, hours and directions to each one. The brochure sample's purpose is to provide free advertising for small businesses and provide quick access to locals and tourists to South Dade's culinary fare. "We all had a lot of favorite restaurants before the hurricane that went out of business or moved," said Dennis Daley, an Air Force reserve pilot who helped design the brochure sample. "This was a way to help market them without charging them for it."
Participants in the Leadership South Dade program are taught leadership skills by working on community projects. Past groups have raised funds to publish a booklet on water conservation and helped design a community center at Centro Campesino. The diners' guide pleased Sally Swank, part owner of the White Lion Cafe, 146 W. Seventh St. in Homestead. According to the brochure, the White Lion is "very cozy and friendly," and offers everything from "soups and salads to a full course meal." The price range is between $25 and $54.95. "It's a great help," said Swank. "It keeps the public moving and in the Homestead area. And who wants to go to the same restaurant every day?" The brochure includes listings of 19 fast-food restaurants. John Quade, a planner in Homestead's Community Development and Planning Department, was a member of Leadership's fall graduating class. He said the brochure targets family-owned cafes hit hardest by Hurricane Andrew. "Word of mouth -- that's the most effective advertising in Homestead and Florida City, but it's not enough," Quade said. "We wanted to focus on mom and pops that didn't have the marketing dollars." The group raised $1,075 to help cover printing costs and produced 22,000 copies of the brochure. Copies have been distributed to banks, tourist bureaus, real estate offices and other sites. The brochure sample is in English, but Daley said an updated version may be printed in Spanish next year. Quade defends its practices. "We have signs up in our shops which say that if a customer's requirements are best met, the sales representatives will recommend a free package," a spokesman for the company said. |