B-I-N-G-O
New Instagram bingo game connects Houstonians to hot Heights restaurants and retail
A prolific real estate developer with extensive holdings in and around The Heights has launched a new initiative to promote its tenants that need assistance during the coronavirus. Revive Development's new Instagram bingo card promotes its 24 retail tenants, offering incentives to people who visit at least four establishments.
Here's the card:
To play, follow the procedures in the Instagram post. Submit receipts from participating businesses by emailing them to Revive. The first 10 people to complete one row will receive gift cards worth approximately $250; the first person to complete the entire card will earn gift cards worth approximately $1,000.
Monica Danna, Revive's director of leasing and marketing, tells CultureMap the company wanted to amplify its tenants' various marketing efforts, whether that was restaurants selling items to-go or retails shops selling gift cards while their doors are closed.
"We felt that what our community needed in this moment was an aspect of fun and joy, while supporting local business," Danna writes in an email. "We loved seeing all of our amazing tenant brands together on a bingo card . . . Since all of our projects are in the Greater Heights area, it made sense for us to promote a program that neighbors would easily be able to participate in safely."
For those contemplating a strategy, consider going diagonal from the bottom left to the top right. Meals at Cantina Barba are inexpensive — the $5 cheeseburger is a particularly reliable choice — and Ka Sushi and Fat Cat Creamery share a parking lot, making them easy to patronize at the same time. Top to bottom, straight down the middle would potentially include crawfish from BB's (always a good choice at this time of year) as well as the European-influenced fare at Squable, widely considered one of 2019's best new restaurants.
Danna adds that Revive has taken other steps to assist its tenants than simply creating a game for social media. Since the company is based in the same neighborhood as its tenants, Danna says it has extra incentives to help them survive the economic losses associated with shuttered dining rooms and non-essential businesses.
"Whether it be marketing support, financial resources, or just passing along information that we have about funding programs, we are in touch daily with our tenants to help them navigate this challenging situation," she writes. "They are our favorite restaurants, they are where we get our hair done, where we exercise. They are our people. And we are doing everything we can to help them navigate during this time."
