By RYAN SKAITH
St. Joseph Restaurant Week is returning from Feb. 23 to March 1, offering a unique opportunity for local eateries to shine and for the community to rally behind small businesses.
During Restaurant Week, diners can enjoy special menus, creative dishes, and exclusive offerings that aren’t available at any other time.
The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce says participation is designed to be simple and flexible. To join, restaurants just need to select a signature dish or a set of dishes to offer at one of three specific price points: $10, $15, or $30.
“It’s always fun when the dish is something that’s not regularly on the menu,” said Natalie Hawn, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. She noted that this is an excellent opportunity for chefs to test new concepts that might eventually become permanent menu staples.
The Chamber is currently encouraging all local restaurants to sign up via saintjoseph.com. The costs for participation are:
- Chamber Members: $50
- Non-Members: $75
- Requirement: All participants must provide a $25 gift card to be used in promotional giveaways.
These fees directly support the program by covering the costs of posters, brochures, table-top signs, and widespread advertising. The deadline to register and submit your featured menu is Feb. 16. After this date, the full list of participants and their menus will be live at stjrestaurantweek.com.
The primary goal of the week is to boost the local economy during a season that is traditionally quiet for the food service industry. “Please encourage your favorite restaurants to participate,” Hawn added. “We do this as a way to encourage local spending in what can be a slow time of year for restaurants.”
St. Joseph Restaurant Week is presented by C&M Business Solutions.
- Platinum Sponsor: St. Jo Frontier Casino.
- Gold Sponsors: Altec Industries, Inc., Eagle Media, KQTV, St. Joseph News-Press (News-Press NOW), and Little Caesars.
- Support Sponsor: Sysco.
