CINCINNATI — Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week begins Monday. Nearly 50 restaurants in the area will offer three-course meals at a fixed price between $26-46 dollars.
“This is our time to show off,” said Maddy Bernard, the Executive Chef of Coppin’s inside the Hotel Covington. “This is our time to really show the best that we can do.”
$1 from every Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week meal will be donated to Cincinnati Children’s. The hospital said the partnership has raised more than $70,000 over the past few years.
“They've given us such exposure across the city,” said Jane Hollenbeck, a donor relations officer at Cincinnati Children’s. “Folks who maybe are foodies who always participate in Restaurant Week, we’re able to get in front of now, who maybe don't have a connection to Children's and maybe if they dine out there, they're eager to learn more.”
Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week comes as the industry navigates big changes brought on by COVID-19.
“We believe that the industry hurtled forward about two and a half times the normal speed during the pandemic, in terms of innovation, technology, and even automation,” said John Barker, President and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association.
Barker said mom and pop restaurants have suffered the most during the pandemic because many did not understand how to change their business models quickly.
While he says things are improving for the industry, staffing remains a top concern.
“You'll see restaurants not open on Mondays, Tuesdays, in some cases, even Wednesday,” he said. “That's not because they don't want to be open. It is important for them to be open as many days as they can.”
At Coppin’s, Bernard said the biggest challenge chefs are facing is the high cost of food.
“Everything is much more expensive than it was two years ago and so we kind of have to be creative,” she said. “You don't know what's going to come in on your trucks in the morning. If you get 90% of it, you're in a good spot.”
She said events like Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week make things feel more like they used to and can help bring new customers in the door.
“I think that it gets a lot of people who wouldn't normally come to our restaurant or wouldn't necessarily even come to Northern Kentucky to eat out,” she said.
You can download the Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week mobile app to track participating restaurants, view menus and check in at restaurants to earn points.
Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week runs from April 18 through April 24.
