One week out of the year for the second year in a row, Knoxville puts on its own restaurant week. Over 30 fine-dining establishments across the city offered specially priced menus as an add-on to their regular menus from Feb. 26 to March 2.
The public is not the only one that benefits from the cheaper cuisine. Five dollars for every meal purchased go towards Second Harvest Food Bank, which will help feed the hungry throughout Knoxville and surrounding areas.
This week is great for businesses like Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which last year almost doubled what it did three years ago during restaurant week.
General manager Paul Hohe of Ruth’s Chris Steak House said that this year they are giving options to their guests to choose from the special restaurant week menu.
Guests are able to choose from a New York strip steak, salmon, filet with shrimp and a stuffed chicken as an entrée with a choice of salad or soup, as well as a side dish and dessert.
Hohe said they do not try to manipulate the menu or trick customers into not buying the cheaper foods.
“What we do is we hand out our normal menus, and on top of that is the restaurant week menu,” Hohe said. “It’s very prominent; everyone will see the menu. In fact, Sunday night, the first night of restaurant week, over 90 percent of our guests who came in ordered off that menu.”
Season’s Café, like Ruth’s Chris Steak House, offered more than just a single selection on their menu.
For the main dish, one could order Angus beef medallions served with mashed potatoes and asparagus or a beef tenderloin served with mashed potatoes with a rosemary demi-glace, brought out with a boneless chicken breast and asparagus. Appetizers such as mixed baby greens and a cheesecake dessert are also part of this three-course meal.
But it’s not all about the food.
“There is a very challenging economy right now, a lot of people are in need, and we felt the need to help out,” Hohe said. “And since we are a restaurant and feed people we felt like it was a natural fit to work with Second Harvest, who also feeds people.”
Season’s Café general manager Drake Little said that the atmosphere this week was much more lively and caring than other weeks.
“It definitely boosts the morale of the people that came in,” Little said. “People know what they’re doing when they come in when they are ordering from the menu. They know exactly where it’s going. A lot more smiles on faces.”
Little said he’s happy people come in and visit their restaurant, but he knows they are also coming in knowing they are helping out more than their stomachs.
“You can just tell when they walk in the door that they are there for that specific reason,” Little said. “Obviously we’re a great restaurant and we love having them there. But it’s almost an extra incentive for them. Not only do they get a great meal, but they are getting the opportunity to help out.”
