The Onset Bay Association’s 2021 “Taste of the Bay” event, which will support local restaurants and reward people for being patrons, will be held Thursday, April 1, through Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 9. 

Those who wish to participate by dining at various restaurants can download or pick up an “entry form,” which contains basic information of all participating restaurants.

People who try out participating restaurants, either in-person or through take-out or delivery, are asked to save the receipt for their meal and attach it to their entry form. Participants will mail or deliver their form (with the attached receipts) to the Onset Bay Association at 196 Onset Ave.

Every five restaurants visited will earn a person one chance to win a drawing. Multiple visits to the same establishment will count — as long as each visit is unique, meaning it occurs on a separate day and has a separate receipt. There is no minimum purchase required. 

Exact prizes haven’t been announced, but “will consist of donated items including gift cards or souvenirs (t-shirts, mugs) from participating restaurants, as well as other items donated to the OBA,” according to the association’s statement.

The Onset Bay Association will award a “grand prize” and prizes for several categories, including most restaurants visited, most visits to a single restaurant, most money spent and least money spent. Participating restaurants will also be entered into a drawing for a yearlong OBA business membership, valued at $100.

This new approach is a reimagined version of the association’s original “Taste of the Bay” event, which was planned for 2020. The event had been designed to showcase local restaurants through a passport program that would reward restaurant patrons and increase OBA membership. 

When covid hit, the association postponed the event indefinitely and then reevaluated. 

“At this point, we feel it is more important to support our community than to fundraise for the organization, so we have removed all fees from the equation, on both the restaurant side and the patron side,” the association said in its announcement.

For updates and participating restaurants, visit the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tasteofthebay.