Finding a place to chow down in St. Albert will get easier for visitors, thanks to a new dining guide, Cultivate your Tastebuds, introduced this year.
The 32-page colour guide divides the city’s eateries into five categories: fine dining, family dining, fast food, pubs and lounges, and coffee and ice cream. All restaurants with a current business licence are included in the guide, which also has a map for easy reference.
“We actually had demand for a dining guide for probably about the last five years, it was probably the most requested item that we got here,” said Joan Barber, tourism development co-ordinator for the City of St. Albert.
With 150th anniversary celebrations taking place throughout the year, Barber said they knew many visitors would pass through town.
“We decided that it would be a good year to make sure it happened,” she said.
Prior to this year information on the city’s eateries was available through the city’s website, at www.visitstalbert.com, and in a regular feature in this newspaper.
Barber said the dining guide was first distributed at the 2011 World Financial Group Continental Cup earlier this year.
“People were very, very pleased with it. They really like the idea that it’s something that they can slip in their purse or their glove compartment,” said Barber.
During the event, numerous businesses, including restaurants reported a sharp increase in sales. Ken Jones, owner of the Dairy Queen in St. Albert, said the guide will help businesses get the word out.
“We like to get more information out if we can and to have everybody understand that we’re out there and we’re ready to serve the public,” he said.
Jones said between 40 and 50 per cent of his business is repeat business.
“You’re always looking to improve that.”
Dairy Queen is one of 58 fast food restaurants in St. Albert. The city also boasts nine fine dining establishments, 27 family restaurants, nine pubs and lounges and nine restaurants for coffee and ice cream.
“It’s good for everybody to have a choice,” said Jones.
Like many restaurants in St. Albert, Jones said he also relies on advertising in local newspapers to promote his business.
Barber said the dining guide will likely be updated once every few years, or unless staff notice a lot of changeover in local restaurants.
“We’ll have to monitor our changes in business licenses and make a decision on that or if we run out as well.”
