Press release:

The Arizona Restaurant Association (ARA) is responding to the recent state of emergency by creating an all new marketing strategy to help support local dining establishments with the debut of Arizona Takeout Week.

Harnessing the energy from the well-attended Spring and Fall AZ Restaurant Weeks, AZ Takeout Week will help restaurants and those diners who depend on them for daily sustenance, survive what is an unprecedented crisis in the industry. The ARA is pleased to announce Arizona Takeout Week, which is now in effect and will run through the entirety of Coronavirus closures.

The initiative serves to help diners and those who depend on dining establishments as a food source find restaurants offering pick-up, curbside, and delivery options during this time and aid restaurants in marketing their service options during the closure.

“We appreciate and thank Governor Ducey for his efforts in working with the restaurant industry to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus,” says Arizona Restaurant Association president and CEO Steve Chucri. “The Arizona restaurant family appreciates his work and that of all elected leaders in our state during this unparalleled time in our history.”

The culinary industry has a powerful impact on the state’s economy — and residents’ livelihoods. There are more than 10,000 dining establishments that employ more than 229,000 staff with annual restaurant sales of $13.4 billion.

“At the end of the day, we are the industry of ‘happy’ — that is what the hospitality industry represents. We hope to bring a bit of happiness to Arizonans during this extremely difficult time through Arizona Takeout Week while keeping our employees and restaurants afloat,” Chucri says.

The event already has more than 100 participating restaurant locations.

This initiative is free for restaurants and all are invited to email their current menus and service hours to takeout@azrestaurant.org. Diners are encouraged to go to the official Arizona Takeout Week website at www.aztakeoutweek.com to learn more and start dining on the go.

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