EAT IT UP
Take a bite out of the capital city and get out there to #EatMGM during this year’s Montgomery Restaurant Week.
There’s no question that food and dining have become events unto themselves. They’re entertainment. They’re an experience. They are ways to learn about other cultures and a little about yourself. The third annual Montgomery Restaurant Week, set for August 11-20, 2017, is the ultimate expression of food as fun, as art and as education.
Restaurants participating in the 10-day event, dubbed EatMGM, will offer special menus, events and pricing to encourage local diners to enjoy their favorite places and also try new experiences. “EatMGM Restaurant Week does two important things for us,” said Meg Lewis, Director, Brand Development and Special Projects for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. “On the local level, it encourages people to try a new place or rediscover old favorites and encourages the restaurant community to come together to take pride in the local scene. Beyond Montgomery, it raises awareness of the city as a dining destination for surrounding areas. Both of these are part of building up Montgomery’s restaurant scene, which our visiting travel writers tell us without fail is competitive with any other destination.”
EatMGM enhances the relationships between Montgomery restaurants, diners, visitors?and the media and raises awareness of the variety and quality of restaurants and food experiences in Montgomery. Organizers also hope that this effort will increase business for local restaurants during the late summer, which can be a slower time for restaurants.
“First, of course, this is a great opportunity for people to get out and explore the dining scene,” said Chase Brown, General Manager of The Vintage Year and the just-announced Vintage Cafe, which is slated to open later this fall. The VY has participated in Restaurant Week since the event’s first year in 2015. “But Restaurant Week also is a chance to unite the Montgomery dining scene as one city and one culinary destination. People tend to get in a routine where they visit the restaurants they know, on their side of town, in their neighborhood. This showcases Montgomery’s dining scene as a whole. I want people to hear that MGM is the next culinary destination.”
Locally owned and managed restaurants have been encouraged to offer specials at set price points of $5, $10 and $15 for lunch and $10, $20 or $30 for dinner. Offers are listed on the EatMGM website at www. eatmgm.com and are being promoted on social media channels including Facebook and Instagram.
In addition to the special pricing offered during Restaurant Week, there will be a variety of social media promotions and other special events in the days before and after the event. The promotional week also coincides with Alabama Restaurant Week, and all participating restaurants will be featured in that statewide promotion coordinated by the Alabama Tourism Department.
“La Jolla has participated in the EatMGM restaurant event for the past two years?with great success,” said Rachel Arnone, Marketing Director for La Jolla Restaurant & Bar. “It gives the community incentive to try new restaurants throughout the Montgomery area that otherwise may not be on their radar. The city of Montgomery having events of this nature encourages residents to get out in the community and eat good food!”
