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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Larry Newman, executive director at Diamond City Partnership, Tuesday said the downtown&rsquo;s businesses are assets that &ldquo;we cannot afford to lose,&rdquo; and added that the inaugural Downtown W-B Dining Deals program is part of a larger campaign to encourage patronage of downtown restaurants and retailers during a very challenging holiday season.
				From Saturday, Nov. 28, (Small Business Saturday), to Saturday, Dec. 12, the Diamond City Partnership, Downtown Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s non-profit management organization, will host the first ever &ldquo;Downtown W-B Dining Deals&rdquo; event.
				During this promotion, Downtown Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s most popular restaurants and eateries will be offering a variety of &ldquo;Buy One Get One&rdquo; gift card deals to holiday shoppers and diners.
				&ldquo;This two-week event is part of DCP&rsquo;s larger Downtown Rebound initiative to help our restaurants and small businesses and preserve the progress that has occurred in Downtown Wilkes-Barre during the past decade,&rdquo; Newman said. &ldquo;Prior to the pandemic, Downtown Wilkes-Barre was building momentum as a regional economic driver &mdash; an incubator for major employers, a hub of innovation, and a regional center for arts, culture, dining, and entertainment. The demand for a walkable lifestyle, combined with the draw of small city-living, has led developers to build and fill over 250 high end apartments &mdash; with more on the way.&rdquo;
				Newman said Downtown&rsquo;s dining district has organically grown into a hub of international cuisine. People from all around the world invested in Downtown Wilkes-Barre and opened restaurants offering authentic foods from their countries of origin. Diners are now able to enjoy the foods of Thailand, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Istanbul, India, the Caribbean, and more &mdash; right in the heart of the city.
				The Downtown W-B Dining Deals event provides an opportunity for the community to support these restaurant owners by purchasing gift cards to be given as holiday gifts or to be used for take-out or to dine in. Shoppers can also enter a raffle to win a $100 gift card from the restaurant of their choice at participating restaurant during the Dining Deals event.
				&ldquo;Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, certain sectors of our economy have experienced devastating loss &mdash; especially our restaurants and small businesses,&rdquo; said Susan Magnotta, Director of Marketing and Development for DCP. &ldquo;Time is of the essence for us to come together as a community to support these small business owners who are our friends and neighbors,&rdquo;
				The Downtown W-B Dining Deals participants are: Abide Coffee House, Anthracite News Stand, Bronco&rsquo;s Vault Brazilian Steakhouse, Circles on the Square, Franco&rsquo;s Pizza, Franklin&rsquo;s, Hartman Jerk Center, Jonathan&rsquo;s, Istanbul Grill, Januzzi&rsquo;s Pizza, Letts Eat, Mimmo&rsquo;s Pizza, Pete&rsquo;s Place, Pronto Via, Pour Coffee House, Senunas&rsquo;, and Vesuvio&rsquo;s Pizza.
				The Downtown W-B Dining Deals event kicks off on Small Business Saturday and runs in conjunction with the Holiday Pop Up Market on Public Square. The community is encouraged to visit Downtown Wilkes-Barre and shop small to preserve progress and support small business owners.
				Diamond City Partnership (DCP) is Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s non-profit downtown management organization, serving as the caretaker of our community&rsquo;s vision for Downtown Wilkes-Barre. DCP also manages the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Improvement District (DWBBID), which provides supplementary cleaning and security services to the properties and businesses of Downtown Wilkes-Barre.
				For more information, visit DCP online at &mdash; www.wbdcp.org.

Diamond City Partnership presents Downtown W-B Dining Deals event