By Tyler Wright
Restaurants in the Yarra Valley have been informing their customers, locals and visitors alike, of the Victorian Dining and Entertainment Program offering 25 per cent back on eligible dining and entertainment purchases across the state.
As part of the program which began on 29 March, customers can claim up to $125 in combined rebates on dining purchases of at least $40 in hospitality venues anywhere in Victoria outside the City of Melbourne municipality between Monday and Thursday, not on weekends.
Owner of Avonsleigh’s Bam Bam Italian Restaurant Paul ‘Dougie’ Douglas has been reminding customers of the scheme at the end of their meal, handing them the receipt and writing down the web address where they can use their proof of purchase to claim money back.
“At the end of the meal we’ll remind [the customer] and they’ll go ‘oh yeah cool, I forgot,’ Mr Douglas said,
“We have seen an increase in trade compared to a month ago, but that’s also not unusual for this time of the year… so it’s hard to say whether or not the scheme itself is having a huge impact, but people are definitely using it.”
Mr Douglas said the scheme is a wonderful incentive but he would like to see more clear and consistent information for restaurant-goers.
“We’re very happy to be promoting it and reminding people about it. But I think from our point of view, it’d be nice to have a little bit of some framework around it so that we could we could maybe use it better,” he said.
“I don’t think [customers are] leaving their house with the intent of using the voucher. It’s only when we remind them that it’s there.”
Belgrave’s Babaji’s Kitchen co-owner Billy Crombie has been posting about the scheme on social media as part of her interaction with the community.
“Most people don’t realise that [the] program is not just for Melbourne City,” she said.
The rebate on dining experiences in the City of Melbourne (which includes Melbourne CBD and 14 suburbs) is called Midweek Melbourne Money – a different scheme which is already closed.
“So every single person who comes to the restaurant I give a receipt to and every single one I tell them and they’re not realising,” Ms Crombie said.
“I’ll make another [social media] post today just to remind everybody and let everybody know to support the businesses in the area.”
The claim is not available for orders made through organisation including, but not limited to, Uber Eats, DoorDash, Providoor and Deliveroo or food delivered directly by the chosen venue.
