Inaugural Chowdown Midtown event set for launch

Taking a page from the popular Devour Downtown playbook, restaurateurs in the Broad Ripple and surrounding area are launching their own version of the dining-promotion event.

The inaugural Chowdown Midtown begins Monday and runs through June 16. Thirty-four restaurants, cafes and clubs are participating in the event, which, like Devour Downtown, offers specific menu options for the set price of $30.

“We were lucky that we had the success and the template and the basics of Devour that helped Chowdown,” said Debbie Scott, executive vice president of the Indiana Restaurant Association. “They didn’t have to start from ground zero on that.”

With assistance from the association, restaurateurs in the area—bounded by Fall Creek Parkway to the south, Keystone Avenue to the east, Illinois Street to the west, and 65th Street to the north—banded together to launch Chowdown Midtown.

The aim is to provide loyal patrons with a special deal while attempting to reach out to new customers who might not be familiar with certain eateries, Scott said.

Devour Downtown was launched in 2005 as a summer event and expanded to twice a year in 2007. This year’s second installment runs from Aug. 8 through Aug. 21.

Chowdown Midtown, meanwhile, should become an annual event and could even follow in Devour Downtown’s footsteps by being held twice annually, perhaps as soon as the fall, said Scott Tegarden of Daugherty Tegarden + Partners, who’s in charge of promoting the event.

“We don’t want a competing event, though,” he said. “We’d like the consumer to have four opportunities a year.”

Restaurants chose to host Chowdown Midtown in June as another promotion to help kick off summer, Tegarden said.

Participating establishments and their $30 offerings range from Parcha Sweets’ 9-inch black and white mousse cake with New Belgium Fat Tire beer sauce to Ambrosia’s four-course meal.

“I think the casual observer, when they take a look at the menus posted, will see an incredible variety,” Tegarden said.

For a complete participant listing, visit www.chowdownmidtown.com.