It?s being billed as the “most delicious week of the year.”
Marking a first for Baltimore, the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association in conjunction with Downtown Partnership and Mayor Martin O?Malley on Wednesday unveiled details of Baltimore Restaurant Week, slated to run Monday, July 24, through Friday, July 28.
“Most major cities offer similar events,” said O?Malley, at a news conference announcing the promotion. “Restaurant weeks are popular not only with people who live in the area, but also with culinary tourists. Restaurant Week will give our restaurants a stage to showcase what they do year-round.”
Margot Amelia, vice president of marketing at BACVA, said that while Restaurant Week will likely attract local residents, bringing culinary tourists to a destination has been growing in importance to visitor bureaus around the country.
“This is great for the culinary tourist,” Amelia said. “They don?t need great weather; they don?t need a certain season. … Culinary tourism is the only cultural tourism that uses all five senses. ”
Amelia could not provide figures on how much is expected to be generated in direct spending to the restaurants, but said numbers should be available following the promotion.
She added, however, that she expects the week to be successful, given the track record of other cities offering similar promotions.
“In other cities, they keep doing it every year and some have added another week so you know it?s successful,” Amelia said. “We wanted to hit 50 [restaurants] and we?ve already passed 50. It?s a great success measurement for the first year.”
Kirby Fowler, president of Downtown Partnership, said having a dedicated Restaurant Week in Baltimore has been a long time in coming as studies have shown that the No. 1 reason people come downtown is for dining.
Restaurant Week has “worked well in other cities. … It should have happened here a long time ago,” Fowler said. “This is an important initiative and the first of its kind for Baltimore. … We expect it to continue year after year.”
Restaurant Week
More than 50 restaurants will offer:
» Three-course dinner menus for $30.
» Two-course lunch menus for $20.
» Baltimore City Parking Authority will reduce the price of parking to $3 after 5 p.m. at selected garages.
» A list of participating restaurants and parking garages can be found at www.BaltimoreRestaruantWeek.com.
