Hungry diners across Aberdeenshire are preparing to choose from a variety of special offers and menus during the region’s first ever Restaurant Week running from November 4 to 10.
Forty restaurants, cafes and hotels have so far signed up to the inaugural festival being organised by Aberdeenshire Council’s Economic Development Service.
It has teamed up with organisations including local business groups, VisitAberdeenshire, Scotland Food & Drink, Aberdeen City & Shire Hotels Association, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Scottish Chefs to encourage business sign-ups and raise consumer awareness.
Food festivals such as this are hugely successful, proving popular with both businesses and customers alike across the country and November’s event will help to highlight all the fantastic places to eat across the region.
Facing the ongoing challenges around supply chain costs and the wider cost-of-living, it’s hoped Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week will give the local hospitality sector a much-needed boost and bring a wealth of new customers through their doors.
During the event, customers will be able to enjoy a host of food and drinks offers which will help increase footfall by showcasing the incredible offering across Aberdeenshire to locals and visitors alike, highlighting value, quality, provenance and choice at a traditionally quieter time of year.
Rita Tria Njeru, North East Seafood Chef of the Year 2024 of The Falls of Feugh Restaurant; Cllr Gillian Owen, Leader of Aberdeenshire Council; Andy Smart, Owner/Head Chef of the Stack Bar & Restaurant at Muchalls and Cllr Isobel Davidson, vice-chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee
To celebrate their involvement, participating venues have cooked up some mouth-watering special offerings for the week-long promotion, with something for all tastes and budgets.
Among them is the award-winning Falls of Feugh Restaurant at Banchory which helped launch the promotion with Aberdeenshire Council Leader Cllr Gillian Owen and Cllr Isobel Davidson, vice-chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.
Councillor Owen said: “I’m really excited to be at the launch of the first-ever Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week and I want to encourage local people and visitors alike to support all the participating businesses and sample the tremendous range of menus and rich dining experiences the region has to offer. The north-east hospitality and food and drink sectors are incredibly important to our economy and we must continue to do everything we can to engage existing and new customers for our businesses.”
Councillor Isobel Davidson added: “It’s great to see so many restaurants signing up to our inaugural Restaurant Week. The excellent range of offers across the region and the range of menus will ensure there is something for everyone to enjoy. The hospitality industry is vitally important, not only for our home market but also for our growing national and international tourism offering. Thanks to our traditional industries of farming and fishing an abundance of quality local produce is available to help the sector set a benchmark for hospitality in Aberdeenshire.”
John Chomba, chef patron of the Falls of Feugh Restaurant, said: “We are delighted to be part of Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week. We’re really looking forward to welcoming new and existing customers to sample our special offers and wider menu and enjoy the friendly atmosphere here in Banchory. November can traditionally be a fairly quiet time for the hospitality sector before the hugely busy festive period, so this is a great way to boost business for us all and showcase what we can all offer all year-round.”
You can check out all the restaurant offers at www.aberdeenshirerestaurantweek.com or follow our social media channels by searching for Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week on Facebook or Instagram.
It’s not too late to register a business for Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week - email restaurantweek@aberdeenshire.gov.uk