Serving up more than 100 participating locations across the county, San Diego Restaurant Week has become a biannual favorite for customers and restaurateurs.
The eight-day event spans from January 26 to February 2, with more than two dozen restaurants participating in downtown San Diego.
“The goal is to get new visitors, particularly locals, to a new venue, a new restaurant that they have never been to,” Restaurant Week spokesperson Sara Spark says. “The restaurant’s job is to curate a menu, usually a three-course menu, to satisfy their [guests] and to have them come back year after year.”
For Restaurant Week, participating locations offer an exclusive menu where guests are offered a few options for each of the three courses at a prix-fixe cost that does not include drinks, tax or tip.
According to Spark, the budget has become more flexible over the years, with offerings ranging from $25 up to $70 per person.
Most of the downtown San Diego locations are at the high end of this price range and only offer dinner services.
“I think Restaurant Week brings value and an experience,” Spark says. “The value of restaurants that are usually fine dining are much higher than casual dining.”
Research conducted by The San Diego Sun corroborated this notion. Typically, the more expensive the restaurant, the better value diners can get. That being said, if you are looking for a cheap meal, Restaurant Week may not be for you.
“Obviously, steakhouse prices, they’re a little bit higher,” Spark says. “So, if you want to go have a steak dinner, just for a New York strip, it’s typically between $48 and $55. But, for San Diego Restaurant Week, [Greystone Steakhouse] has a three-course meal for $55.”
The offerings on Restaurant Week menus can be drastically different price points. If you select items for each course that are the cheapest on the regular menu, you could actually pay more than the prix-fixe cost at a few downtown locations.
It may be beneficial for some restaurant goers to take a look at the regular menu during their visit and compare it to the specials. For example, selecting the filet mignon over the chicken entree, or the calamari appetizer over the salad will help you get the most for your dollar.
Melting Pot, a fondue chain located in Gaslamp Quarter, offers one of the best Restaurant Week deals with the least amount of disparity. Their three-course menu provides a choice of fondue, salad, and entree for $50 each, saving guests a minimum of $22.85 at least and a maximum of $32.85 when compared to the regular menu.
Like their guests, each restaurant has its own goals and motivations for participating in Restaurant Week. Some restaurants prioritize giving the best deals on familiar favorites, while others prioritize fresh experiences.
RMD Group owns and operates multiple downtown restaurants participating in Restaurant Week and has different goals for each.
“Lumi often is a special occasion restaurant, so we see birthdays, we see anniversaries,” RMD Group Marketing Director Katie Bosworth says. “Putting together a menu that comes at an initial lower price point is really a way for us to make the venue more approachable to people who might not have considered us in the first place.”
For Huntress, a steakhouse located below Lumi on Fifth Avenue, the approach looks a little different.
“We use the opportunity for Restaurant Week to do some research and development and try new dishes so guests could get a sneak peek of something at Huntress that’s not yet on the menu or something that our chef’s been playing around with,” Bosworth says.
Participating in Restaurant Week can not only benefit diners, but can also boost small businesses and franchises in the San Diego area.
“We really look at using the San Diego Restaurant Week as an opportunity to reward the guests that dine with us,” Bosworth says. “So we’ve seen an uptick in new business and repeat business that week. And then, we try really hard to see how we can continue the efforts of Restaurant Week after the week is actually over.”
For more information go to: SD Restaurant Week. SDSun
