By Jordana Comiter | WhereYat.com
If there's ever a time to visit the Northshore, it's now. The Tammany Taste of Summer event is going on now until August 31 and is featuring a Special Savings Pass, sponsored by the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission, which allows locals and visitors to save on overnight stays, restaurants, and attractions.
For most people, August means goodbye tan lines and hello textbooks. This, however, could be an opportunity for one last summer adventure, as well as a chance to give back to the industry. "The Tammany Taste of Summer's ultimate goal is to help our tourism partners increase revenue in August, an extremely difficult month in the hospitality industry, in an already very difficult year. We're dedicated to investing in our community and supporting our Northshore small businesses that contribute so much to our quality of life," Donna O'Daniels, president and CEO of the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission, said.
If it couldn't get better, the program is absolutely free for both patrons and participating tourism-related businesses. "We look forward every year to this—and will ALWAYS participate and be so grateful for all you do to promote local business here in St. Tammany," Brandi Najoli, co-owner of Cafe Lynn Restaurant & Catering, enthused.
Chef Jeremy Reilly of Restaurant Cote in Slidell added, "Tammany Taste of Summer has been instrumental in my restaurant's success through my slow season…I continue to participate as well as look forward to it due to its impact it has on my business. My patrons absolutely love it. I typically only get to show my creative side during wine pairings, special events, etc. So this allows my patrons (and myself) to have a month full of 'not so typical' items."
Many restaurants adjust to include discounted prix fixe menus during this time and welcome Tammany Taste of Summer patrons. Notable Northshore restaurants that offer inventive dinner and lunch menus this year include Annadele's, Café Lynn, Del Porto Ristorante, The Dakota, Forks and Corks, Gallagher's (Grill, 527 and Front Street), Impastato Cellars, NOLA Southern Grill, Nona Randazzo's, Peck's Seafood Restaurant, Pyre Provisions, Restaurant Coté, Tchefuncte's, The English Tea Room & Eatery, and the Seiler Bar. Menus for 2-, 3- and 4-course meals range from $15 - $48.
In addition to restaurants, attractions and accommodations are also in the mix of summer savings. Attractions offering great deals include Bayou Adventure, Canoe and Trail Adventures, Cajun Encounters Honey Island Swamp tours, Chafunkta Brewing Company, Brooks Bike Shop rentals, Gold Coast Skydivers, Culinary Kids, and Louisiana Tours and Adventures Pontoon Boat Tours. Northshore hoteliers and bed and breakfast owners are also offering cool daily rates for Tammany Taste of Summer visitors. Booking can be done directly from Tammany Taste's website and people can receive room rates including but not limited to 25% off Blue Heron B&B, 20% off the Southern Hotel and 10% off at the Abita Springs Hotel, Little River Bluffs and Towne Place Suites in Slidell.
If you're looking to lock your spot in for the program and guarantee your access to prix fixe menus and deals from participating businesses, registration is now open on TammanyTaste.com. Following sign up, a link to the Summer Savings Pass is emailed and texted to the user, who can then save it to the home screen on their mobile phone. Similar to using an app, pass users can easily scroll through prix fixe menus, special room rates and attraction offerings to plan their Northshore experiences. Then, users can check-in at the business when they redeem an offer.
The Tammany Taste of Summer Savings Pass was implemented through a digital platform called Bandwango by Manager of Marketing and PR for St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission Anna Strider. She explains her excitement about its capability to track the success of the program for participating businesses. "Choosing to incorporate the Bandwango Savings Pass as the digital backbone to our annual Tammany Taste of Summer campaign has proven to be tremendously beneficial. It allows for valuable, real-time economic impact to be easily accessed and communicated to our community stakeholders."
Over 97% of the St. Tammany Parish visitors and residents surveyed who signed up for the Summer Savings Pass said they would eat, stay, and play with the program again in 2021. "We loved trying new restaurants as well as new menu items from our favorite places (during Tammany Taste of Summer). It was a nice bright spot in 2020!" Covington resident Melissa Foster remarked.
To access Tammany Taste of Summer Savings Pass details, or to book a room, visit TammanyTaste.com.