3 course meal deals

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of the winter version of Dayton Restaurant Week, the three course dinner meal deals kicks off tonight and runs through Sun, Feb 2nd.  It also happens every July. The original was priced at $20.05 with $1 of each meal being donated to a charity partner each time. The meal would go up a penny a year, but the economics of the restaurant industry changed all that some years ago. Full disclosure, I was president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association when this started.

The 3 course meal concept is still the basis for most of this promotion, but the price pint is all over the place now with meals being offered from $20.25 to $65.25.

$20.25 Meals*:

All The Best: cups of soup,  chicken cutlet, brisket or meatloaf &  cheesecake

The Barrel 2 garden salads and a 3 topping 14″ pizza

CBCB Bar and Grill: appetizer, choice of burger, fish & chips or wings & fries and a dessert

Carvers Steaks and Chops: soup or salad, Basil & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta, chocolate truffles or lemon bars

Crooked Handle: soup or salad, loaded mac & cheese, a cuban sandwich or pulled braised beef on a toasted sub roll

El Meson: cup of soup or salad, Spicy Battered Cauliflower Tacos and Tres Leche Cake

Greek Street: soup or greek fries, chicken or veggie gyro, baklava and a fountain drink

Hickory River Smokehouse: fries, onion rings or okra, BBQ dinner plate w/ 2 sides and cornbread and dessert

Little Fish Brewing: an appetizer and choice of-noodle bowl, grilled cheese melt, falafel plate, sausage plate

Loose Ends Brewing: Crab rangoon, deluxe side salad, classic smashburger

The Famous Restaurant: burger, fries & drink or 10 wind with salad and drink or fish dinner, drink & dessert

*many of these eateries also have other options.

Meals for Two*:

Bunkers Restaurant: Choice of appetizer to share and Two orders of Chicken Chunks or two quesadillas $25.25

Dublin Pub– appetizer, 2 sandwiches and one dessert $35.25 or appetizer, 2 entrees one dessert $40.25

Kabuki: soup or salad, edamame or goyza and choice of Dol Sot, Oragne Chicken $35.25, Sushi for two $45.25

Nick’s: appetizer to share, NY Strip, Mahi Mahi or blacken Chicken Caesar salad, and dessert to share $40.25

Other Participating Restaurants:

Agave & Rye, Amber Rose, Archer’s Tavern, Chappy’s, Chop House, Coco’s Bistro, Condado Tacos, Corner Kitchen,
Crooked Handle, El Meson, elé Bistro & Wine Bar, Figlio, Jay’s Seafood, Loose Ends Brewing, Manna Uptown, Pasha Grill, Primo Italian Steakhouse, Rip Rap Roadhouse, The Florentine, The Foundry, The Melting Pot and  Treasure Island.

Restaurants are traditionally busy for this week, so reservations are suggested where appropriate. Menu’s are subject to change. Not restaurants are open each night, so please check hours before you head out. To check out full menu’s, click here.

I have a particular fondness for Restaurant Week, as it was my baby when I was president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association in 2005.  When we started it, it was a struggle to get restaurants to sign on.  The 3 course meal deal was offered by $20.05, to reflect the year.

The first year I think we had about a dozen restaurants when we kicked  off the promotion and we got up to 29 by the actual week of the promotion.   We asked the eateries to donate $1 of each meal to charity, a component that is not a part of most restaurant weeks around the country, but I really believed that this would help the public embrace this promotion.

Our first charity partner was The Food Bank with our slogan being “when you eat, they eat.” We strategically picked January, as that is one of the slowest months for restaurants and even though the restaurants signed up, many of them were skeptical about the event.  But the residents of the Miami Valley embraced the promo right away.   And then the restaurateurs started to believe, “I have never seen anything like it,” said Josef Reif, owner of l’Auberge, in Kettering. The phone started ringing last Friday and by noon Saturday all spaces in both dining rooms were reserved for the entire week.”  Then restaurant critic for the Dayton Daily News  Ann Heller interviewed local owners and one Oregon District eatery said  business tripled overnight.

Now a dozen years later, the promotion is still going strong and while the price goes up a penny each year, a 3 course meal for $20.17 is still a great deal. It originally ran just Sun – Friday, but now Restaurant Week runs Sunday – Sunday, Jan 22- 29th, giving you even more chances to dine out.   The program has changed a little as well, with restaurants now having the option to offer meals for $25.17, $30.17 and $35.17 as well and places like Park City Club and Roost offer options at all price points. Other eateries offer deals for 2 like Chappy’s Tap Room & Grille 2 dine for $35.17 offer or Kabuki’s sushi dinner for 2 for $35.17.  Some restaurants offer 4 courses like Wheat Penny and The Melting Pot.  Many more will pair beer and wine specials at discounted prices.

I tend to use restaurant week to visit newer restaurants and this year that includes Caramella’s Italian Kitchen, Ellie’s Restaurant and Bakery at Mills Park Hotel, Smiths Boathouse, Wandering Griffin and Zink’s Prime Meats and Fine Wines

 

You can view all the menus here.
The other thing to be aware of is that many of the restaurants participating are not open every day of restaurant week.  Be aware of the restaurant’s hours, some open days that aren’t usually open and some are closed on Sunday & Monday.

Here are our suggestions to get the most out of Restaurant Week:

 

1. Reserve Early

Popular Restaurant Week choices will be booked up quickly, so the sooner you get on the phone to make your reservations, the better. Reservations for dinner early in the week (Monday – Wednesday) tend to be easier to get than Friday and Saturday. Some of the more casual restaurants don’t take reservations, so arriving before or after the dinner rush will minimize your wait.

2. Manage Your Expectations

It is Restaurant Week and most restaurants offer fairly limited choices on the Restaurant Week menu, so if you’re a very picky eater, it might not be the best option for you. Menu’s are predetermined for price, volume and ease of service, so don’t be surprised if substitutions aren’t possible. Frequently, the Restaurant Week menu won’t include a restaurant’s “signature” dishes, but you can often order them a la carte if you’d really like to give them a try. Some menu’s may actually differ from what’s listed here, due to product availability.

3. Understand the Price

The $20.17 – 35.17 prix-fixe meal doesn’t include beverages, tip or tax. Beverages can add up quickly, so if you’re concerned about your budget, ask about prices before you order. On the other hand, since your meal is discounted, this might be the best time to splurge on a bottle of wine. Many restaurants offer multiple price points options, so you can decide how much to spend.

4. Vegetarians Beware

Some of the menu’s don’t offer a lot of options for you, but you’re probably not surprised by that. On the other hand places like Christopher’s and Meadowlark always offer creative and tasty options.

 

5. Tip Your Server Well

Just because you’re getting a discount on your dinner doesn’t mean that the waiter or waitress is getting a break on their rent this month, so tip generously if you get good service. And as a former waitress, let me remind you 20% is the baseline for good service these days.

 

And don’t worry if you can’t get to all the participating places, there’s always Summer Restaurant Week July 23 – 30th.