Chef Frank Stitt’s three restaurants are among the 25 eateries already signed up to offer discounted dishes during the fifth annual Birmingham Restaurant Week.
Set for Aug. 15-24, the event is expected to include about 50 restaurants, organizers said. Last year, 43 restaurants participated.
Birmingham Restaurant Week spotlights the city’s culinary culture by offering incentives for Birmingham-area residents to revisit their favorite restaurants or to try new venues.
Restaurants already committed to BRW 2014 include Ocean, 26, Century Restaurant and Bar, Highlands Bar & Grill, Bottega, Chez Fonfon, Vino, Silvertron Café, The Wine Loft, Dixie Fish Co., The Pantry by Stone Hollow and Primeaux Cheese and Vino.
Restaurants will offer special two and/or three-course fixed-price lunch and/or dinner menus in the $5, $10, $20 and $30 per person range during the 10-day event.
Several restaurants will also include brunch. Some restaurants will offer beer and/or wine flight components, giving diners a selection for sampling, and other drink specials.
Restaurant Week is organized by REV, a Birmingham economic development organization.
“We are pleased to offer this opportunity to residents of Birmingham and to the restaurants that serve our community,” said James Little, BRW director and district manager of REV. “It is our hope that this 10-day event will draw attention to the top-notch locally-owned dining opportunities right here in Birmingham.”
Little said similar promotions in Atlanta, New York and San Diego have helped revitalize restaurant business in those cities.
BRW will deliver real-time updates to the community via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. The BRW “Free Food Friday” contest on Facebook will resume this year, allowing some Facebook fans to receive gift certificates to a BRW participating restaurant each Friday. BRW will also use frequent e-blasts, the BRW blog and website at www.bhamrestaurantweek.com and the BRW Mobile Site Dining Guide, a new addition to BRW last year.
“Users will know where to eat in the ‘Ham this year and will have all the details right at their fingertips simply by bookmarking the mobile site to their smart phones,” Little said.
Event organizers said Birmingham Restaurant Week’s success influenced the Alabama Tourism Department to launch a statewide Restaurant Week in 2012 and again in 2013 with Alabama Restaurant Week during its Year of Food Campaign.
For restaurant applications and more information about BRW 2014, visit www.bhamrestaurantweek.com.
