Annapolis eateries extend the love during Restaurant Week

Annapolis‘ Restaurant Week has grown this winter, and many of the area’s restaurateurs are looking forward to the boost in business.

Restaurateurs say they are already seeing an influx of reservations three weeks before Annapolis’ promotion. The event is Feb. 21-27, and gives diners the chance to eat three courses at new and favorite restaurants in the area for a fixed price of $15.95 for lunch or $29.95 for dinner.

The promotion gives restaurants the ability to boost sales during an otherwise sluggish time of the year after Valentine’s Day. Last winter’s Restaurant Week in Annapolis gave restaurants a surge in sales, something participants hope to mimic this year.

“Last year was incredible,” said Russell Brown, manager of O’Leary’s Seafood. “We followed right after Valentine’s Day, and people just want to continue that whole vibe with the restaurants all week.”

Last year, Brown said O’Leary’s had more than 900 diners during Restaurant Week, when normally the eatery would get about 350 diners for the week. The restaurant already has 90 reservations for the promotion this winter.

“This time of year, things are not as busy as you’d like it to be,” Brown said. “So we’ll definitely do it again.”

Suzanne Evennou, who co-owns Café Normandie with her husband, Jean-Louis Evennou, said she can’t wait to extend the promotion. The French restaurant has already gotten a number of inquiries about Restaurant Week and has 25 reservations on the books, she said. Last year’s Restaurant Week brought in a third more of new business that would not have otherwise come in, Evennou said.

“I wanted to start [Restaurant Week] even earlier, but my husband said no,” Evennou said. “But we’ll extend it after, so hopefully it will be a good week.”

To participate in the promotion, Annapolis restaurants must pay $200 for marketing and advertising. In addition to social media and radio advertisements on 103.1 WRNR Radio, the event is being publicized in Bay Weekly, Capital Gazette newspapers, Comcast ads and Taste of the Bay magazine.

This year, the event was able to get Annapolis Produce and Restaurant Supply as a sponsor, said Erin Brunst McNaboe, event chair and Rams Head Tavern vice president. The food distributor is giving deals to restaurants and helping with marketing efforts this year, she said. As for bringing on more sponsors next year, McNaboe said she’s open to the idea of having more partners to help with the marketing as the event gets bigger. The event is run by the restaurants themselves, through the Annapolis Business Association.

“I think we’ll revisit it after this year and see where it goes,” McNaboe said. “We’d love to try out new ideas.”

Other Restaurant Weeks in the Greater Baltimore area see the winter as a prime time to boost business. Baltimore City held its promotion Jan. 21-30, Baltimore County had its first winter Restaurant Week Jan. 14-28, and Howard County restaurants lured diners with themed menus Jan. 17-31.

“This year makes the most sense to have a Restaurant Week,” said Clark Wolf, owner of Clark Wolf Co., a restaurant and hospitality consulting firm in New York. “And during the winter, lowering your prices when business is low is better than when prices are high. It becomes a preview, a good way to bridge over, for the people who aren’t sure whether they’d be paying too much for your food otherwise if they don’t know that they would love it.”

Bill Kupina, manager of The Wild Orchid Cafe, said the event’s impact on business was significant. More than 25 percent more diners came into the restaurant during Restaurant Week’s weeknights, and the weekend saw double the amount of customers.

“During a normal week, it would be totally hit or miss,” Kupina said. “[Restaurant Week] is definitely an increase for the restaurant, and I’m 99.99 percent sure we’re doing it again next time.”