12 Weeks of Foodie Summer rallies Tucson diners around local restaurants

Tucson Foodie will launch 12 Weeks of Foodie Summer on Monday, May 18. The community-wide dining campaign will run through Sunday, Aug. 9. The campaign encourages Tucsonans to support local restaurants during the city’s slower summer dining season.

The 12 Weeks of Foodie Summer campaign spotlights a different dining theme each week. Themes include Asian cuisine, wine, vegan food, coffee, happy hour, frozen desserts, burgers, Italian food, brunch, steak, carne asada, and Sonoran cuisine. Diners can earn entries for weekly prizes and a grand prize by dining out and uploading receipts.

12 Weeks of Foodie Summer supports Tucson restaurants

Tucson Foodie created the campaign to give residents another reason to eat local all summer. The effort asks diners to explore the city’s food scene one theme at a time. Each week highlights qualifying local restaurants tied to that week’s category.

“Tucson summers are really tough on our local economy, especially restaurants,” said Addie Ibarra, community director at Tucson Foodie. “We wanted to create something that gives our community a reason to go out, try something new, and feel good about supporting local.”

The campaign also turns everyday dining into a community challenge. Participants can visit a qualifying local restaurant, save their receipt, and submit it through the Tucson Foodie app. Each valid receipt counts as an entry for that week’s prize drawing.

Every valid entry also rolls into the grand prize drawing at the end of the campaign. That structure gives diners a reason to join early and keep participating. It also sends more summer dining dollars to Tucson restaurants.

How to participate in 12 Weeks of Foodie Summer

Participants can join the campaign by dining at qualifying local restaurants during each theme week. After dining out, they can snap a photo of their receipt. Then, they can upload the receipt through the Tucson Foodie app.

The campaign will award weekly gift cards and local prizes. Local and regional businesses can also sponsor weekly prizes or the grand prize. Tucson Foodie will feature sponsors through logo placement, editorial mentions, and social media inclusion.

Restaurant partners can create weekly specials tied to their theme week. Tucson Foodie will feature participating restaurants with specials in weekly editorial spotlights. Restaurants, sponsors, and media contacts can reach Addie Ibarra at addie@tucsonfoodie.com.

Three anchor events kick off the campaign

Tucson Foodie will launch the campaign with three anchor events during the first three weeks. Each event connects to that week’s dining theme. Together, they give the campaign a strong start before the broader summer schedule continues.

The anchor events include:

• Week 1: Asian Night Market, May 23, presented by Matcha.com
• Week 2: Wine Week kickoff with AZ Wine Collective, May 25
• Week 3: Vegan Night Market, June 6

For Asian Week, prizes include $50 gift cards for Tuk Tuk Thai and Kin Dee Thai.

Asian Night Market will close Asian Week with a large community event. Wine Week will open with AZ Wine Collective and a celebration of Arizona wine culture. Vegan Night Market will highlight Tucson’s growing plant-based dining scene.

For more Tucson food events, visit the events calendar.

Full 12 Weeks of Foodie Summer schedule

The campaign runs from May 18 through Aug. 9. Each week gives diners a new way to explore Tucson restaurants. The schedule also builds toward Sonoran Week and the grand prize drawing.

The full schedule includes:

• Week 1: May 18 to 24, Asian Week, Asian Night Market on May 23
• Week 2: May 25 to 31, Wine Week, AZ Wine Collective on May 25
• Week 3: June 1 to 7, Vegan Week, Vegan Night Market on June 6
• Week 4: June 8 to 14, Coffee & Tea Shop Week
• Week 5: June 15 to 21, Happy Hour Week
• Week 6: June 22 to 28, Frozen Dessert Week
• Week 7: June 29 to July 5, Burger Week, Fourth of July
• Week 8: July 6 to 12, New-to-Me Week
• Week 9: July 13 to 19, Italian Week, Pizza & Pasta
• Week 10: July 20 to 26, Breakfast & Brunch Week
• Week 11: July 27 to Aug. 2, Steak & Carne Asada Week
• Week 12: Aug. 3 to 9, Sonoran Week, Grand Prize Drawing

The range gives diners a broad look at Tucson’s food identity. It also encourages repeat visits across neighborhoods, cuisines, and restaurant styles.

Sonoran Week closes the summer campaign

Tucson Foodie will close the campaign with Sonoran Week from Aug. 3 to 9. The finale celebrates Tucson’s designation as America’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. It also honors the Sonoran culinary heritage that shaped the city’s food culture.

The grand prize drawing will take place in conjunction with Sonoran Week. Organizers designed the finale to connect Tucson’s modern dining scene with its deeper culinary roots. The final week also gives diners one more reason to support local restaurants before summer ends.

“Every receipt upload is validation that small businesses are the backbone of our community,” Ibarra said.

The 12 Weeks of Foodie Summer campaign turns summer dining into a citywide show of support. It invites Tucsonans to try something new, revisit favorite spots, and keep local restaurants busy. Most importantly, it keeps the focus on the people and businesses that feed Tucson.

To sign up and get more information, visit summer.tucsonfoodie.com.