The first annual Highlands Restaurant Week, hosted by Stubborn Seeds Hospitality Group and The Laurel Magazine, ran April 6-12, featuring special menus, new dishes, and multi-course experiences at 21 participating venues throughout Highlands.
The small business-supported initiative was created to promote the town’s dining scene while increasing foot traffic during the spring shoulder season.
“We don’t just have a slow January—we have a slow January, February, and March can be hit or miss,” said Clarissa Emily, co-founder of Stubborn Seeds Hospitality Group and Highlands Restaurant Week. “It’s really important for us to start creating some of these events to get people out of the house and supporting businesses in the shoulder season because it’s not really economical for our businesses to be dormant for so many months out of the year.”
Participating venues included hotels, breweries and restaurants. Hotels offered discounted stays during the week, while breweries and restaurants featured uniquely-crafted menus at special pricing.
Emily noted that Restaurant Week went beyond what she had expected.
“It definitely exceeded my expectations,” said Emily. “I saw a lot of locals posting in the different restaurants and they were even talking to us at our restaurants about where they had been that week. I think it lays a really solid foundation for next year.”
Emily added that the Stubborn Bull and Stubborn Buddha almost doubled their sales from the week prior thanks to the promotion, while other venues reported strong turnout throughout the week.
“I went to the live music and wine tasting at High Country Wine and Provisions and they said they had a phenomenal Friday,” said Emily. “Another person told me that they went to one of the restaurants in town and it was packed out on a Monday. They couldn’t believe the sheer amount of people they saw.”
Daniel Young, general manager of Highlands Smokehouse, which was one of 11 participating restaurants, saw more foot traffic than usual for this time of year and was able to experiment with potential future menu items.
“It was a good test run for what we’re going to be doing this summer,” said Young. “We have a few menu changes, so it was a nice way to introduce that to people.”
Restaurant Week is a part of a broader effort for Emily, other business owners and chefs to form a nonprofit, 828 Epicurean Experiences, aimed at filling the void left by the absence of Food and Wine Festival.
“For us, doing things like Restaurant Week, it’s about reinforcing that prestige of we are not just outdoor tourism,” said Emily. “We have a very vibrant and talented culinary scene in Highlands.”
From culinary village-style events to signature wine dinners and cocktail classes, the nonprofit intends to develop programming to fill the calendar during both shoulder seasons. It will also help organize the return of Highlands Culinary Week, which will feature four days of events, live music, and multi-course prix-fixe lunch, brunch, and dinner menus.
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com