ATLANTA, June 5, 2017— Two Athens restaurants have been awarded the 2017/2018 “100 Plates Locals Love” distinction by Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism division (GDEcD). Georgia Tourism’s third annual list of “100 Plates Locals Love” is featured in the state’s culinary guide, Georgia Eats. The restaurants included in this list are The National and home.made.
“Culinary experiences continue to be one of the top drivers of visitor interest when planning a vacation,” said Kevin Langston of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Georgia offers visitors unique food and beverage experiences in every corner of the state, and the Georgia Eats guide makes it easy for visitors and locals to discover the many flavors of Georgia.”
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism Division highlights the state’s culinary greatness in the official guide, Georgia Eats. Following the success of the culinary guide in 2015, the Tourism Division decided to recreate this informative and inspiring guide that entices visitors to sample the state’s world-class cuisine. As a part of the “100 Plates Locals Love” designation, each restaurant is featured in the Georgia Eats culinary guide, which is distributed via the 12 Visitor Information Centers statewide; on the state’s consumer tourism website ExploreGeorgia.org; and on Explore Georgia’s social media channels.
"It is no surprise to find out that two local restaurants have been named to this distinguished list," exclaimed Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Chuck Jones. "Athens restaurants hit every culinary point of view and budget just right; there's no shortage of chefs taking great pride in bringing new flavors to the table. Our local chefs impressively blend fresh culinary options with classic favorites to create a unique restaurant scene that can't be found anywhere else."
As part of the state’s culinary initiative, the third-annual Georgia Restaurant Week will take place July 17-23, 2017 at participating restaurants throughout Georgia. During this week-long event, patrons, will be able to explore the numerous dining options throughout Georgia for a special price and sample locally grown products that are available in Georgia’s restaurants.
This year, more than 750 “plates” were nominated via ExploreGeorgia.org and evaluated by a panel of judges. The third annual list of “100 Plates Locals Love” features favorite dishes from across the state.
About GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) plans, manages and mobilizes state resources to attract new business investment to Georgia, drive the expansion of existing industry and small business, locate new markets for Georgia products, inspire tourists to visit Georgia and promote the state as a top destination for arts events and film, music and digital entertainment projects.
About the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau is a proactive sales and marketing organization whose primary goal is to increase the economic impact of the hospitality and visitor industry by attracting individual visitors, group tours, and meetings and conventions to Athens. Tourism WORKS for Athens, contributing $273.40 million in spending, 2,600 jobs and $17.86 million in local and state tax revenue in 2014.
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