Two longtime Tucson restaurateurs have pulled out of Tucson Originals, citing the high cost of membership.
Chef Albert Hall withdrew his Foothills restaurant Acacia Real Food & Cocktails last week. Doug Levy, chef-owner of Feast on East Speedway, announced on Tuesday that he would leave the group at year's end.
"The benefits just weren't there," said Hall, who was a member for eight years before leaving in the days before Thanksgiving. "The costs seemed to outweigh the benefits."
At the crux of both men's reasons for leaving was the group's loyalty card program, in which diners accumulate points for eating at Tucson Originals restaurants that they can redeem for discounts. The cards can be used at any participating member restaurant.
Hall and Levy said what they were finding was that diners would redeem the discounts - $10 for every 150 points earned on the card - at their restaurants but would not dine there at full price.
"The loyalty card, I feel like it's good for some people, but for us it's been frustrating," said Levy. "I like to think that our prices are good, and we are very reasonably priced. We have a very tight margin so ... we are losing $600 to $1,000 a month to freebies through the card."
Levy said he was faced with the prospect of raising his prices to cover the losses, which would in the long run hurt his business.
Levy, who has had Feast for 11 1/2 years and has been an Originals member for many of those years, estimated he spent $15,000 each year to be part of Tucson Originals. The expenses included membership fees and other obligations, such as participating in mandatory events like the yearly culinary festival and the Humane Society's annual "Puttin' on the Dog" fundraiser.
Tucson Originals Executive Director Colette Landeen said members do not have to honor the loyalty cards, and many have opted out of the program, including her husband, Jonathan's Cork chef-owner Jonathan Landeen.
Jonathan Landeen, a member of the Originals since its 1999 inception and a longtime board member, said he quit the program last year for the same reasons that Hall and Levy cited.
But Levy said he believes if one restaurant honors the cards, all of them should.
"I just sort of felt like if we're going to be a group, then we have to behave like a group," he said.
Colette Landeen said Tucson Originals members have been discussing the future of the loyalty card program over the past year.
"It's possible to discontinue the program," she said. "But ... we would want to do it gracefully so that people would understand that they have so many months to use their points. So yeah, we're considering it. It's an ongoing conversation."
With the loss of Acacia and Feast, Tucson Originals has 47 members including newcomers Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery/Bistro and Tanque Verde Ranch.
Levy said he is leaving the door open to rejoining Tucson Originals in a year or so.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.
