The lunch business was more brisk than usual Wednesday at Casa Dora Italian Restaurant when the pasta and pizza destination along Forsyth Street near the Florida Theatre was the site for the debut of "Lunch Down(town)."
Jax Cash Mob partnered with Community First Credit Union to invite Downtown workers and residents to gather en masse at the restaurant to eat lunch. It's a way to support a local business, similar to the concept behind a cash mob, said Jax Cash Mob founder Mike Field.
He described a cash mob as a "shop local" flash mob created to stimulate the economy at a local business. Fields' cash mobs have been showing up at retailers in Jacksonville for more than a year, but Wednesday marked the first time a Downtown restaurant was the focus of the micro-stimulus.
Field said Community First Credit Union was the perfect partner for the lunch event, based on their support of Downtown through the "Community First Saturday" monthly Riverwalk celebration and its sponsorship of the One Spark crowdfunding festival.
"It made sense to partner with a company that's so involved with the neighborhood," said Field.
"There is a symbiotic relationship between businesses and it's all about interconnection. A small action can have a big effect on the community," he said.
For more than an hour, a steady line of diners moved along the serving line at the restaurant. Co-owners Sam Hamidi and Freddie Ghobod said they did more business than usual for a Wednesday.
"It was fantastic. Thanks to Community First for sending the mob here," Hamidi said.
To learn about future Downtown "mob" opportunities, "Like" JaxCashMob at Facebook.com.
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