Eat in or takeout? Or both?
Diners will have a whole menu of deals and specials to select from during the seventh-annual Lake County Restaurant Week, which runs April 1-10.
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“Restaurant Week is a chance to highlight the extraordinary range of culinary options found in Lake County as we feature everything from drinks and desserts to fine dining specialties to carryout and pizza,” said John Maguire, Visit Lake County’s community outreach and programs director. “Our county is rich with diverse options for every budget and lifestyle.”
More than 60 restaurants and counting are participating this year.
“Each restaurant will be featuring a special offer, pre-fixe meal or specialty item for diners to try,” Maguire said.
A complete roundup of eateries and their specials and events can be found at LakeCountyRestaurantWeek.com starting March 21. Each listing features deals, menus, photos and other links.
“As a tourism bureau, we know that the first thing that family and corporate visitors ask about when they arrive is ‘Where are the best places to eat?'” Maguire said. “We try to steer customers to our partner businesses all year long, in the same way we refer big attractions, hotels and entertainment venues — but especially now, connecting the local residents with our restaurants has become a high priority.”
Restaurant Week creates a perfect opportunity for this.
“To keep our hospitality industry strong, we ask for dedicated support of those businesses who are mostly locally owned, create jobs for our neighbors and keep our communities active,” Maguire said. “We hope that by listing all participating venues, residents will discover new places or go back and patronize the favorite spot that they don’t want to disappear.”
This year’s Restaurant Week theme revolves around supporting the hospitality staff.
“The servers, chefs, bartenders and hosts — the people that have continued to serve us with a smile and persevered throughout the past two years of challenges,” he said.
New this year is a mobile check-in contest.
“Diners can upload a list of participating restaurant and then ‘check in’ on their phones when on-site,” Maguire said. “Guests who check in at three or more locations between April 1-10 will be eligible to win a variety of prizes.”
Those include an overnight stay at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort with a dinner/theater package, a cooking class at The Joyful Gourmet in downtown Libertyville and gift cards from participating restaurants.
When heading to a restaurant, be sure call ahead and make reservations if you can.
“Due to the current industry issues of staffing, supply and hours of operation, many places fill up in the prime weekend time slots,” Maguire said. “We ask diners to check in and also to mention Restaurant Week to their server, so the restaurant can track how many new or returning guests they serve.”
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.