Dear Restaurant Owner:

Due to increased demand, our organization has recently developed an online resource guide for Tampa Bay and the surrounding area: VegTampaBay.com.

A growing number of restaurant-goers are looking for vegetarian options when dining out. Zobgy International found that 57 percent of diners "sometimes, often, or always" order vegetarian meals (http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj99sep/999scientific.htm). And according to a Restaurant Association poll in 2003, as many as 30 percent of restaurant-goers "want to eat vegetarian meals." ("Vegetarian Dishes Go Mainstream," Deborah Silver, Food Product Design, May 2003). At no cost to you, we promote local restaurants who offer their patrons an assorted variety of plant based food options on their lunch and dinner menus.

How do you participate? It's simple. Just add 4-5 more vegan/vegetarian items, or designate a vegetarian/vegan section to your already veg-friendly menu. That's all you have to do and your restaurant will be promoted in our restaurant directory on VegTampaBay.com, which is currently being advertised in the Weekly Planet! If you take an extra step and offer mock meat (vegetarian chicken and beef as well as tofu) and/or non-dairy cheese to your menu, we'll promote you even further with banner ad rotation and additional promotion through our frequent events. You will benefit from the exposure of our marketing efforts such as newspapers (the Weekly Planet), television, monthly publications, and radio.

If you choose to participate in this exciting opportunity, we've enclosed a helpful guide. After reviewing the enclosed materials and our website, VegTampaBay.com, please contact us at your convenience so we can get you started. Two other websites that may be helpful to you are: http://www.vegadvantage.com/ http://www.pcrm.org/health/rvsk/index.html

Sincerely,

Jodi Chemes [email protected] (727) 237-6223