Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks dished up a boost of almost £500,000 for the Granite City’s economy earlier this year new figures reveal – as the dates for the next “Foodie Fortnight” are unveiled.
The event, which ran in January, not only provided a bonanza for the hospitality sector it also saw footfall in the city centre jump by 20%, say Aberdeen Inspired, which runs the festival that will return from September 2 to 15.
And a post-restaurant week survey saw 91% of participating eateries say it had been good for their business, with 76% adding it had increased the numbers of people visiting them – in one case by up to 200%.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “The guiding principles of Aberdeen Inspired’s drive to boost our city centre is to bring people into the heart of the Granite City, give them something special to do while here and encourage them to support local traders and businesses.
“Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks tick every one of those boxes – and then some. Aberdeen Inspired has delved into the statistics from the Foodie Fortnight held earlier this year and found it injected at least £455,000 into the economy and boosted footfall by 20%.
“We can’t wait to tuck in to the next Foodie Fortnight where I know the menu will include another economic boost for the hospitality sector, another chance for people to tuck into fantastic food at great prices and another chance for Aberdeen to stake its claim as one of Scotland’s culinary centres of excellence.”
Amarone
Aberdeen Inspired’s focus is now turning firmly to next month’s outing of Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks which has already seen 65 restaurants sign up offering a dizzying array of cuisines showcasing the finest eating experiences the Granite City can offer.
It will again boast special lunch and dinner menus – priced at either £10, £15, £20 or £25 – as well as special dishes and pairings to tantalize the tastebuds.
New for Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks this September is the exciting addition of a “Foodie Passport”. Discerning diners can pick up one of our special cards, visit five participating restaurants to collect a stamp, then enter a prize draw to win a meal out for two every month for a year!
To add to the excitement of this next festival of food there will be new venues joining in the fun as well as old favourites.
Those making a restaurant week debut in September include Sugarbird, Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish, Ma Cameron’s, Wild Boar, Old Schoolhouse, Gio’s by La Lombarda, The Howff and Coda Café Bar in the Music Hall.
Jillian Miller, marketing director at McGinty’s Group of restaurants which include The Esslemont, Under The Hammer, McGinty’s Meal ‘an Ale and Ferryhill House Hotel said “As always, we welcome the return of Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks which is now an established event for the hospitality trade in the city.
“The introduction of the ‘Foodie Passport’ is a great addition to the event and will hopefully encourage Aberdeen’s foodies to discover some new favourites within the great local scene. As Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks overlap with the newly-introduced Whisky Week, we are expecting a bustling fortnight in the city.”
Elena Ionascu, owner of Da Vinci Italian Restaurant added” We are thrilled to be part of Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone that loves good food to join us on these two weeks of culinary exploration.
“Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks is a very busy period for us and gives us the opportunity to increase our regular customers and showcase our traditional food. The introduction of the Foodie Passport is a great opportunity to try amazing food and various types of cuisine."
Louise Ryan, general manager of the Old School House, said: "We are really excited to be taking part in Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks for the first time. We look forward to welcoming both new and existing customers to try our menu."
It isn’t just restaurants, cafes and bars who are looking forward to the two-week extravaganza – there was a 97% positive rating from diners in the post-event feedback from January’s iteration.
The Terrace
Comments left by diners in the Aberdeen Inspired survey included:
• "I love restaurant weeks as it is a great way to find out about new restaurants and I also make sure to try some new places. Thoroughly enjoyed it."
• "Tried places we would never have normally gone to. All meals were excellent and we will visit them again."
• "This is just a brilliant opportunity to eat out at a bargain price, try something new, go back to a favourite. Such a wide choice if restaurants participating.”
Shona Byrne, project manager with Aberdeen Inspired who is driving Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, said: “The restaurants, cafes and bars are signed up, the menus are prepped and ready to go and there is a full brigade of talented chefs and front of house teams ready to dish up the city’s biggest and best celebration of food.
“With our Foodie Passport featuring for the first time we hope it will encourage diners to get out an about and take advantage of as many deals as possible during the event. Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks have grown in popularity since we first ran them in 2018. Hugely popular with the public we know they deliver a welcome direct economic benefit to the city which has grown with the festival year on year.
“We have a few more surprises in store which discerning diners won’t want to miss on, so look out for more exciting announcements in the coming days.”
Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks’ brilliant banquet of food, fun and excitement in the Granite City will be dished up from Monday, 2nd September, to Sunday, 15th September.
You can find the full list of places taking part in Aberdeen Inspired’s Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks aberdeenrestaurantweek.com