FOODIES are getting a second bite at many mouthwatering menus with news that Belfast Restaurant Week will return from September 23-29.
During the inaugural week in February, the 37 participating restaurants revealed that a tasty £151,000 was spent in their city centre establishments in just seven days, earning the initiative a short-listing in this year's Belfast Business Awards.
Belfast Food Week was organised by the Belfast One and Destination Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement Districts (BID).
Clare Maguire, managing director at the Belfast One BID, said: “Taking the decision to bring Restaurant Week back for a second time was an easy one, due the phenomenal popularity of February’s event.
“It was anticipated that restaurants would benefit from an increase in sales of 20 per cent in February, but have reported that their average sales year on year soared by more than 59 per cent.
“The dedicated website had more than 80,000 menus downloaded which is testament to the calibre of the food offering we have right here in the heart of the city.”
Gareth Neill, manager at the Cathedral Quarter BID, added: “Restaurant Week not only provided a significant boost to businesses but was a great opportunity to promote and celebrate the diverse offer of our unrivalled food and drink sector in Belfast.”
Niall Davis of Jumon said: “Restaurant Week our busiest seven-day period since we opened 12 months ago. It was amazing to see so many people staying in the city after work – it’s the way a city should be.”
Andrea O’Neill of Coppi said: “Restaurant Week brought us new customers who had never dined with us before, which was fantastic for attracting new business.”
The next Belfast Restaurant Week will be part of Tourism NI’s ‘Taste the Island’ Festival, which runs from September to November.
