IS RESTAURANT WEEK ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE?

Every season in NYC, foodies anxiously await the release of that little pocket-sized booklet packed with current Restaurant Week participants. I, personally, delight in perusing the pages, deciding which restaurants I want to dine in and paring down my choices to a select few. It’s an exciting time of the season, and yet I can’t help but wonder if RW is truly as big a benefit for diners as it seems.

 

At first glance, the RW promotion is a great bargain and an excellent business opportunity for restaurateurs. A mere (by NYC standards) $25 will get you a three-course prix-fixe lunch and $38 a three-course dinner. Unsurprisingly, participating restaurants encounter an endless stream of guests thanks to these budget-friendly numbers.

For diners, I believe the biggest boon of RW is the opportunity to enjoy reasonably priced meals at otherwise-costly eateries, particularly those reserved by most for special occasions. RW affords you a trial run of sorts, providing the foundation for an informed decision about whether to return and shell out the big bucks.  

It’s when it comes to dining at restaurants with already-lower price points that I have to question RW’s benefits. I find that if you stick to the RW menu (and don’t jack up the bill with booze like I do!) you’re not paying much less than you would for an appetizer and entrée from the regular menu – you’re essentially just getting a free dessert. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a free dessert as much as the next girl, but it’s at the expense of a wider range of menu selections—I prefer to have options.

In addition to RW’s potential benefits for diners, restaurants are offered advantages also.  RW provides eateries the opportunity to bring in and impress new clientele with the intention of inspiring guests to return (and pay full price). When using the promotion in this manner, restaurants can gain valuable recognition as well as repeat customers and diners’ accolades for their food and service.

However, there are those establishments that don’t subscribe to this philosophy. They treat RW as little more than a way to bring in one-time business during the slow season. They regard RW diners as unimportant and cheap with little concern for the guests’ experience. These restaurants seem to have the get-rich-quick mentality rather than recognizing the value of building a base of satisfied repeat customers. Accordingly, these are generally the restaurants offering an unreasonably limited RW menu and that put less-than-stellar food on your plate.

On the whole, and in spite of my skepticism and criticisms, I believe RW to be a valuable promotion that can be advantageous to guests and businesses alike. I simply advise diners who plan to participate to choose your restaurants wisely. Ask yourself, “Would I spend nearly the same amount of money if I dined here outside of RW?” If the answer is yes, I suggest you pick a pricier restaurant where you’ll likely get, “more bang for your buck.”  

www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek

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