In addition to my birthday, March is always an exciting month, thanks to the annual Dine Around Seattle promotion.

Seriously, what’s not to like about 28 great restaurants offering fantastic 3-course meals for just $30?! But I’m confused about something, in regards to this fabulous lineup of restos, and I’m hoping some of you can help me out. 

Why do you think nearly 1/3 of the restaurants on this list choose not to use Twitter as a visibility vehicle, not just for this event but year-round? As social media fans (most likely you, if you are reading this!), we’re all pretty proud of the incredible culinary community we have on Twitter, and we truly love to talk about it constantly. But I’m always frustrated when I can’t find an establishment on Twitter, either to mention something cool they are offering, to ask them a question, or just to see what the buzz is about them from other Twitter foodies.

To wit, of this year’s 28 participating restaurants in Dine Around Seattle, 10 are not on Twitter – unless they are hiding and I can’t find them (that would be pointless, right?!)  And these are some of the best dining spots we have locally – Barolo, Chez Shea, Earth & Ocean, Mamma Melina, Nell’s, Nishino, Palisade, Restaurant Zoe, Steelhead Diner and Szmania’s.

So to these restaurants (or maybe their PR firms!), I beg and plead you to jump in and join us – the water is fine! We will support you, talk about you (we already are!), brag when we visit you, promote your events, share your special offers, and do whatever we can to support you in this wacky economy.  It’s just not the same without you…

I look forward to your comments below – what do you think is missing? How do we get them to come play with us on Twitter?

Warning – Shameless Plug: If you are one of these restaurants I’ve mentioned, or know one of them, I am more than happy to meet with you to discuss how you can use Twitter (or other social media) to increase your visibility and communicate with your fans.  Really, that’s what I do.