TAMPA - Six in 10 consumers would prefer an extra week's vacation over an extra week's pay, AAA's "Travel Pulse" report issued Thursday shows.
The report found that 62 percent of AAA members would choose an extra week's vacation time over an extra week's pay. Four in 10, or 38 percent, would choose an extra week of pay.
Tourism Week Awards
SARASOTA - Restaurant and hotel owners and employees, along with sculptor Jack Dowd, were among the winners of National Tourism Week Awards, the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced.
Winners included Bob Kirscher, owner of The Broken Egg Restaurant, as tourism leader of the year; Eleonora Walker, front office manager at Hyatt Regency, Sarasota, honored for guest service excellence - management; Rosa Guillen, hostess at The Columbia Restaurant, honored for guest service excellence - front line; and Samuel Glinton, line cook at The Holiday Inn, Lido Beach, named for guest service excellence - back of the house.
The award winner as "Voice of Sarasota" was sculptor Jack Dowd.
Each winner was nominated by peers and then chosen by a selection panel composed of members of the hospitality industry.
Frugali Cafe opens
MANATEE - Frugali Cafe has opened at 1617 DeSoto Road, just east of the Sarasota Kennel Club.
The restaurant, featuring executive chef Robert Stadt and Momma Frugali, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cafe is open for breakfast from 7 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. and dinner from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call (941) 343-7200.
Independents Week
SARASOTA - The American Independent Business Alliance is celebrating the seventh annual Independents Week July 1-7 with festivities through the month of July.
The alliance, along with a partnership between the Sarasota and Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureaus, is recruiting local businesses to participate in a "passport" program that will provide special offers to consumers through the month of July. More than 50 businesses have signed up to participate.
It is an effort to honor local businesses and the impact of their entrepreneurial spirit.
For more information, visit independents@castolp.comwww.amiba.net or e-mail independents@castolp.com .
- Herald staff reports
