Butte County Dry January Passport

People love a quest, so the Butte County Dry January Passport is brilliant marketing. More than 20 restaurants, bars and cafes got together to motivate Dry January participants to still go out and support businesses.

Mom’s Restaurant in Chico is celebrating Dry January. Photo courtesy of Mom’s.

When players visit a participating business, they check in with their digital passport. There’s a leaderboard, so you can compare your progress with the competition. After the event, five winners will be randomly selected in the grand prize drawing for $200 worth of gift cards from participating locations.

Butte County, California is north of Sacramento. Its best-known place is Chico, a lively college town.

Here’s why the Butte County Dry January Passport is brilliant

The easiest way to not drink during the coldest month of the year is to glumly sit on the couch, counting down the days until February—and your next drink. By using the Butte County Dry January Passport, people will learn that yes, it is possible to go out and be sociable and have fun without alcohol.

Again, that cold month after Christmas can be bad for businesses. Hopefully they’ll get more customers.

People will venture beyond their familiar watering holes in the quest to win a prize. This is good for people to expand their horizons. And, again, good for businesses.

The county may benefit from fewer drunks on the road. And with all these delicious mocktails available, maybe there will be fewer annoying drunks around in general!

The bartenders get a chance to shine, creating new drinks and getting some recognition.