Planning to order carryout or dine in at one of your favorite Genesee County restaurants? Get more for your money with the “Our Town Gift Card Match Program.”

Thanks to a $25,000 donation from Consumers Energy, the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with 23 area businesses to double the value of gift cards purchased at their locations for a limited time.

As part of this new program, a customer who purchases a $10 gift card at a participating business will receive a second $10 gift card at no cost to them. The maximum amount eligible to be doubled for one customer is $100.

The promotion began Feb. 8 and will run until the donated funds are depleted. Unless noted otherwise, community members can take advantage of the program by visiting one of the following Chamber member locations and asking to purchase a gift card through the Our Town program.

• 501 Bar and Grill
• Blackstone’s Smokehouse
• Blondie’s Food & Spirits
• The Coffee Beanery (Miller Road location only)
• Cork on Saginaw
• Donna’s Donuts
• Edible Arrangements Grand Blanc
• Fenton Winery & Brewery
• Fireside Coffee Co.
• Great Harvest Bread Company
• Halo Burger (Online gift card purchases only)
• Hoffman’s Deco Deli & Cafe
• Italia Gardens (Flint, Grand Blanc and Davison locations only)
• Luigi’s & El Toro Sports Bar
• Pesto’s
• Redwood Steakhouse
• Sagano Japanese Bistro & Steakhouse (Fenton and Flint locations only)
• Sauce Italian American Kitchen
• Semi-Sweets LLC (Flint Farmers’ Market location only)
• Sherman’s Lounge
• Soriano’s Mexican Kitchen
• Starlite Diner, Coney Island and Catering
• Sweets by Suzanne Marie

“We’re hoping to give our local restaurant industry a shot in the arm by incentivizing community members to patronize these businesses during what has been a very difficult time,” says Kristina Johnston, COO at the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce. “What’s great about the Our Town program is that it puts additional dollars in the hands of some of our local food-based businesses, while also allowing consumers to stretch their dining budgets in Genesee County.”

The Our Town initiative comes two months after a survey from the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association reported that 90 percent of Michigan restaurant operators said their profit margin was lower than it was prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This initiative builds on the matching gift card program Consumers Energy launched in December 2020, when the energy provider donated $500,000 to support shopping local in 55 Michigan communities.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the communities we serve, and every community has seen those businesses feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Lauren Youngdahl Snyder, Consumers Energy’s vice president of customer experience. “With Our Town, we are excited to put dollars directly into shoppers’ hands to help them stretch their budgets and give a boost to shops and restaurants.”

This isn’t the first time Consumers Energy has partnered with the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce to assist businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company also provided financial support for the Restart Flint & Genesee Small Business Grant Program in 2020.

“We are grateful for the continued support of Consumers Energy,” Johnston says. “The company has shown time and time again its commitment to Michigan’s businesses and workers.”

To learn more about the gift card match program, visit flintandgenesee.org/ourtown.

  Consumers Energy, Consumers Energy helping Flint businesses, Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, helping small businesses in Flint, Our Town program in Flint

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