Long Island Restaurant Week is getting ready for the weather to break!
That means between now and April 7, the team will be adding more and more participating restaurants for its popular spring installment, which runs through April 14. Click here to sign up now.
And the event committee is riding a very hot hand. This Winter Long Island Restaurant Week saw participation surpass pre-pandemic levels yet again, with well over 150 Nassau and Suffolk county restaurants getting signing up. (Participation dipped to just 70 in 2021.)
From Long Island Restaurant Week’s perspective, teaming up with them is a no-brainer, with restaurants reporting an increase in foot traffic anywhere from 10 to 50 percent over the eight days.
“This is a cash-flow opportunity for restaurants,” said Nicole Castillo of Long Island Restaurant & Hospitality Group, which operates the tri-annual events. “Yes, you’re offering a promotional rate, but the numbers show restaurant owners are seeing more revenue than normal for that week. And then residual revenue from people coming back, be it as regulars or for special occasions.”
But the restaurants who benefit most follow the team’s advice:
That mainly involves choosing menu items that are meant to impress (fan favorites), in-store promotions of other, upcoming events and promotions, and servers suggesting add-ons, such as bottles of wine. Really, it’s all about showcasing yourself, she says.
The details
Spring Long Island Restaurant Week 2024 runs from April 7 through April 14. Restaurants must offer three options per course (appetizer, entrée, dessert) for each prix fixe menu.
And they can offer one or all of these options:
- $29 three-course dinner
- $39 three-course dinner
- $46 three-course dinner
- $24 two-course lunch
Click here to learn more, including pricing, rules and guidelines.
Restaurants also have the option to offer other dishes at supplemental charges, so long as they stick to at least three options per course at the above prices.
The Long Island Restaurant Week website also gets a ton of traffic during and leading up to each event, so restaurant owners are strongly encouraged to share their prix fixe menus ahead of time.
The background
An estimated 116,000 meals are served during each promotion at over 150 Long Island locations, which is good for about $4 million in revenues from every Long Island Restaurant Week.
It started as a fall-only promotion in 2006 until the first Spring Long Island Restaurant Week was launched in April 2011. Winter was added in January of 2016, due to popular customer and restaurateur demand. Visit the Restaurant Week website for any more information.
Top: Long Island Restaurant Week participant Bayberry in Islip. (courtesy photo)
