To generate a buzz for local restaurants, the Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is looking to launch its first Joliet Area Restaurant Week early next year.
The Feb. 17-26 event will feature special deals for restaurants located from Morris to Lockport.
Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitor’s Bureau marketing manager Dan Mulka said holding the event makes sense for the Joliet area.
“What we’re trying to do is highlight the restaurants,” he said. “There’s many different restaurants in the Joliet area that we want Chicagoland to kind of think about where they’re looking to eat.”
The CVB has announced that 14 restaurants are slated to participate in the 2017 event and that includes: Truth Restaurant (Joliet), Jitters Coffee House (Joliet), Al’s Steakhouse (Joliet), Big Fish Bar & Grille (Wilmington), Chicago Street Pub (Joliet), Cross Street Grill (Joliet), Embers Tap House (Lockport), Flavors: The Buffet (Joliet), Juliet’s (Joliet), Little Saigon (Shorewood), Morris Chop Shop (Morris), Public Landing Restaurant (Lockport), The Reserve (Joliet) and Tin Roof (Joliet).
Restaurant Week will allow Joliet to join the ranks of a number of communities across the nation to hold the event.
“We have restaurants going as far as Morris and Lockport,” Mulka said. “We’re trying our best to showcase that there’s a lot of culinary opportunities and new places to try.”
Mulka said the event is hoped to draw a lot of people to the area.
“It’s a way to help out restaurants that are seeing the winter doldrums,” he said.
Mulka said it’s important for people to support local restaurants.
“It’s a very crucial part of the economy,” he said. “You have a lot of people who work at the restaurants. You want to keep those businesses up and running.”
The hope, according to Mulka, is that Joliet Area Restaurant Week can be held annually. The CVB will evaluate the event and its participating restaurants to gauge whether to hold another one the following year, he said.
If a restaurant is looking to participate or interested in learning more about the event, visit jolietrestaurantweek.com
The CVB works with communities and counties located along the historic I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor to shape the visitor’s experience through tourism partnerships.