FALLBROOK: Seventh meal free in new dining reward program

Visitors bureau hopes to boost local eateries with promotion

By TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer | Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:40 PM PDT ∞

FALLBROOK ---- As commerce officials explore ways to keep residents in the Fallbrook area dining locally, a program starting Saturday will offer perhaps the best deal yet: Buy six meals, get one free.

The program is also open to those who do not live in Fallbrook and are curious about dining options in North County's northern reaches.

Linda Kissam, executive director of the Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau, said Monday that the "Dine Around" program will provide punch cards listing 10 restaurants from which to choose.

"All you need to do, over a period of six months, is to visit six of them," Kissam said. "You get a punch every time you spend $25 or more. And once you get six punches, you come to the visitors bureau and we give you a dining certificate from one of the 10 participating restaurants worth a minimum of $25."

Because the point is to encourage customers to discover a variety of local restaurants, each punch-out on the card must come from a different eatery, Kissam said.

The cards will be available at participating restaurants, and through the tourism bureau's office at 123 W. Alvarado.

While the greater Fallbrook area has dozens of restaurants ---- several offering high-end cuisine ---- local restaurateurs have found it tough to compete with chains in Temecula, Oceanside and Vista, Kissam said.

"The idea is to get people in seats," she said of the Dine Around program.

Chris Pierson, who owns Rio Rico Restaurant & Cantina in Bonsall, said that he foresees the punch-card program bringing in more customers.

"We really see it just helping keep local residents here in town and trying out the local dining options, instead of going out of town," said Pierson, who took over Rio Rico with his wife in June.

"In our case, we're really hoping to bring in people who ate here 10 years ago, and maybe didn't have a good experience. It encourages you to try out different restaurants in the area."

Kissam said it was interesting to see 10 of the area's biggest restaurants working together.

"You'd think that most of the restaurants would say: 'Why would I send someone to another restaurant? I want to keep them here,' " she said.

But she said the owners recognized that when local patrons realize there are good places to eat without having to leave Fallbrook, the restaurant business as a whole will benefit.

"They wanted to find a way to increase the number of visitors, but none of them wanted to do a discount program," she said. "We got them all together, and after two meetings, as a group we came up with this."

The 10 restaurants include several downtown locations, as well as Rio Rico in Bonsall, the Oak Room at Pala Casino and Pala Mesa Resort's Aqua Terra restaurant.

Visit www.findfallbrook.com or call (760) 451-3282.

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.

Greater Fallbrook-area restaurants participating in the "Dine Around" program:

-- Aqua Terra at Pala Mesa Resort

-- Brother's Bistro

-- Cafe des Artistes

-- El Jardin Mexican Restaurant

-- Garden Center Cafe & Grill

-- La Caseta Mexican Restaurant

-- Le Bistro

-- The Oak Room at Pala Casino

-- Rio Rico Restaurant & Cantina

-- Trupiano's Italian Bistro