February 28, 2019 | Community Spotlight: Wednesdays ‘n’ Wixom |
During the month of January, the Wixom Downtown Development Authority, which is part of the Main Street Oakland County program, hosted a weekly event called Wednesdays ‘n’ Wixom. Wixom is in southeast Michigan and is about 40 minutes from Detroit. The Wixom DDA wanted to give back to its restaurants and community for their constant support of the many events and initiatives the organization hosts through-out the year. Knowing that January is one of the slowest months for the Michigan restaurant industry, Wednesdays ‘n’ Wixom was born.
As a small downtown with only eight restaurants, Wixom wanted to help bring in customers by surprising patrons and paying for their bill each Wednesday. They set a budget of $500.00 and dedicated an amount for each restaurant. Every Wednesday, DDA board members visited one or two restaurants and randomly selected a table to win. They did not advertise which restaurants they would be visiting each week. That was part of the excitement for the community -- not knowing which establishment would be the chosen restaurant of the evening.
Wednesdays ‘n’ Wixom was a heartwarming event for the Wixom DDA. The restaurant owners and staff were blown away by the act of kindness that was brought to their establishment. At one restaurant, the wait staff began crying for what the DDA was doing. The pure joy and appreciation from the patrons was nothing but spectacular. They even paid for a birthday dinner for a mom dining with her husband and two boys. She said, “It was the best birthday gift ever!” These were the reactions that will cause the Wixom DDA to repeat this event, with bigger and better events in years to come.