Business owners have long known the power of breaking bread with potential and existing clients. Food is part of our culture and very existence.
It has also become an important component in tourism, so Lexington is jumping on the very popular “Restaurant Week” bandwagon. Sponsored by the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau (LCVB), Restaurant Week will be held July 25 through Aug. 3 at locally owned restaurants in Lexington, with a $25 prix fixe menu, excluding drinks, taxes and gratuity.
The prix fixe menu (French for “fixed price” and pronounced “prefix”) will vary from restaurant to restaurant. It might be $25 for one entrée and salad or a dinner for two, or whatever combination each restaurant wants to offer.
Staff members of the bureau have heard the phrase “culinary tourism” at every industry meeting they have attended for the past two years.
“There is a renaissance in American food and food sourced locally, playing to food traditions and cultural heritage,” said Mary Quinn Ramer, LCVB’s vice president of tourism marketing. “Food is so word of mouth. It’s social.”
In anticipation of the Restaurant Week promotion, the LCVB published a local restaurant guide in August 2012 titled “Beyond Grits.” They launched a website of the same name in early 2013. Intended for visitors to the city, Beyond Grits has become popular with Lexington residents as well.
“We’re excited it has a dual purpose,” said Jim Browder, LCVB’s president. “We have got some unbelievable talent in this town.”
He is eager to promote Lexington as a culinary destination, building on the area’s tourist reputation for bourbon, wineries and craft breweries.
“Restaurant Week should be an extremely huge boost to the economy and to tourism,” Browder said.
Entrepreneur Tim Zagat and the late restaurateur Joe Baum came up with the first Restaurant Week concept in New York City in July 1992, when the Democratic National Convention was held at Madison Square Garden; they convinced almost 100 restaurants to serve a three-course lunch for $19.92. In November 2001, Washington, D.C., held its first Restaurant Week, and dozens of cities across the country have followed suit.
Among the many participating restaurants in Lexington’s inaugural Restaurant Week are Billy’s BBQ, Casanova Italian Restaurant, Cheapside Bar & Grill, Jean Farris Winery & Bistro, Jonathan at Gratz Park, Josie’s in Chevy Chase, Julep Cup, Malone’s, Merrick Inn, Natasha’s Bar & Bistro, School, Tomo and Windy Corner. For a full listing, see www.beyondgrits.com.
Other local restaurateurs within Fayette County are encouraged to contact the LCVB to sign up.
For Ouita Michel, chef/owner of Windy Corner, Restaurant Week is an important way to celebrate food culture.
“Food prepared by people who live in your community and food that is grown by people who live around your community is an expression of your community,” she said.
The timing of Lexington’s Restaurant Week in late summer is intentional, as it’s a slow time in the restaurant industry. The 10-day promotion should help drum up some business, but that’s not the primary reason local restaurateurs are participating.
“We’re not just small-business people,” Michel said. “Chefs are craftspeople. In a state that celebrates its crafts, we want to be celebrated, too.”
Michel is appreciative of the LCVB’s efforts in promoting Lexington’s culinary talents.
“They are so supportive of local food in our community,” she said. In addition to owning Windy Corner in Lexington and restaurants in Woodford County, Michel will soon open Smithtown Seafood, a fish-and-chips counter located in the Bread Box next to West Sixth Brewing Co.
According to Browder, there are 390 restaurants in Lexington, almost 30 percent of which are listed as individually owned and operated in Beyond Grits.
“I think the unique thing about Lexington is we have that Southern flavor that seems to be a little bit dominant,” Browder said.
He added, “We have quite a diverse culinary selection, with influences from all over the world.”
Established in 1974 by local ordinance, the LCVB promotes Lexington and central Kentucky as a premier destination for conventions, as well as business and leisure travel.
“It seems like almost anything the Convention and Visitors Bureau asks us to do, we generally just do it,” said Jonathan Lundy, chef/owner of Jonathan at Gratz Park.
When he travels, Lundy seeks out local restaurants by searching the Internet or paying attention to word-of-mouth recommendations.
“I would prefer to go to a smaller, locally owned restaurant where the owner is involved on a daily basis,” he said.
Many travelers feel the same way. “Where is a good local restaurant?” is one of the top questions asked of the LCVB.
Already looking ahead to the 2014 Restaurant Week, the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau hopes to introduce a charitable component.
“We’d align ourselves with a food charity,” LCVB’s Ramer said. “It’s on our radar.”