A number of issues with how participating Starkville Restaurant Week diners are providing and displaying charity ballots prompted organizers to say this year’s total vote count could be lower than in 2014.
As of Thursday, about 6,000 ballots have been collected, said Jennifer Prather, Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s special events coordinator. Comparatively, about 10,000 ballots were collected three days before the event ended last year.
This year’s event, which was extended to 10 days in order to cash in on home baseball series, ends Sunday.
Patrons have told the Partnership they simply have not been provided ballots by many restaurants’ servers, she said. Organizers offered training sessions with participating staffs and asked them to provide ballots to customers with their bill or when they order, depending on the restaurant’s method of delivery and payment.
Fewer participating restaurants asked for the training sessions this year, Prather said.
While this year’s event has yielded new participants unfamiliar with the process, The Dispatch repeatedly observed stacks of ballots left out in the open at previously participating restaurants, circumventing waiting staff’s ability to inform diners about SRW’s charity aspect and the personal delivery of ballots.
Voters are simply not voting, Prather said, because they simply do not know to do so, and the results are telling.
“You can tell by looking at the counts per day, which are about 30-100 votes per charity. Last year, it was about 200-300,” Prather said. “We’re really hoping for a final push this weekend to make up the difference. We know restaurants get busy, so please ask for a ballot if you’re not given one.”
SRW was launched in 2013 as a way to bring Mississippi residents who live within a 60-mile radius — about an hour’s drive — to the city in order to promote Starkville’s growing culinary scene the week after MSU’s spring break, a stretch of time that historically produces sluggish dining and retail sales figures.
A charity aspect allows organizers to estimate how many diners visit participating restaurants as patrons vote for one of three nominated charities to receive cash donations.
The Partnership also tracks its advertising effectiveness through ballot entries for zip codes — where customers came from — and builds its database with email addresses.
After each event, organizers meet back with restaurant owners to help determine how business increased at their establishments and to work out any problems with the process.
Those meetings after this year’s event are expected to focus on how the restaurants should provide ballots in the future.
“Voting is such a huge part to (SRW),” Prather said. “We’ve always tried to reach out to restaurants and figure out things that are working and things that aren’t. We want to know what helps them, but sometimes you only get a handful that reply. We want to hear from all, including those struggling to handle and execute the event.”
In all, more than 30 restaurants participated in last year’s event, which yielded a record-setting 16,228 certified ballots in seven days.
A big part of last year’s vote push was MSU’s series against the University of Vanderbilt, which resulted in a huge influx of out-of-town visitors and diners.
The Partnership extended the seven-day event to 10 days this year — it began March 13 — to include a home series against the University of Alabama and single matchup against Eastern Illinois University.
The Bulldogs began a four-game road trip against the University of Kentucky and the University of Southern Mississippi Friday and won’t play at home again until March 27’s series against Auburn University.
Three local charity organizations — the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic, Salvation Army and Starkville Habitat for Humanity — are competing for a $5,000 cash donation. The top vote-getter will receive the prize at 4 p.m. event Tuesday at the Cadence Bank plaza.
Cadence returned as this year’s grand prize sponsor, while two new groups are represented this year: Vollar Law Firm (the $1,000 Golden Plate Award) and Scrub-Ville (the $500 Silver Spoon Award).
“From a charity standpoint, the Autism Clinic is doing a great job of getting information out about the organization that people might not know about; Habitat really jumped outside its comfort zone and has been really active on social media; and the Salvation Army has been able to really reaffirm to the public what they do for the community,” Prather said.
The ADDC operates under MSU’s School Psychological Services Center and serves about 70 clients each week with assessment — autism spectrum disorder diagnoses — and intervention services for areas including pre-academics, social skills and disruptive behavior. It receives funding through patient fees as well as through donations. Patients’ ages range from infants to adults.
Although the Salvation Army’s impact is felt globally, the local chapter serves Oktibbeha, Webster, Winston and Choctaw counties. The organization provides assistance to those in various forms of need, including displacement from disasters, fires or other major catastrophes. The local chapter generates revenue through its annual Kettle Campaign, retail proceeds and other fundraisers.
Starkville Habitat for Humanity volunteers build new homes, and the organization provides no-interest mortgages to low-income families who need a decent place to live. It maintains an open-door policy for volunteers and those who are in need by serving all races and religions.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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