Restaurant Week on the Lane starts Thursday
As Lundy’s Lane continues to evolve into a district “where the locals go,” the business community hopes to see thousands of Niagara Falls residents come out for Winter Restaurant Week.
Starting Thursday, and running through March 9, 13 restaurants in the dining and entertainment area will offer a variety of two- and-course fixed-price lunch and dinner menus.
David Jovanovic, project administrator with the Lundy’s Lane BIA, said some restaurants will also offer single-course express lunches.
“The thing in Niagara Falls is it’s like Toronto and that where people go out and dine for lunch,” he said.
“It’s more business-like here and you’ll get out and go have a quick lunch.”
About a dozen more businesses will provide discounts on merchandise or services.
It’s the fourth Restaurant Week on Lundy’s Lane, with the last one seeing a 25 per cent growth as more than 6,000 patrons participated in the event, said David Jovanovic, project administrator with the Lundy’s Lane BIA.
The district also offers a Fall Restaurant Week.
“We’re really excited, we’re very pleased with the direction it’s going and our engagement with the locals,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity to get together with friends and go out for a wonderful meal.”
Jovanovic said sometimes people “just need a reason” to go out and it’s common during Restaurant Week to find many patrons frequenting multiple restaurants.
“All weekends we have entertainment along the Lane — live music — so that aspect is really growing,” he said.
“The businesses are pleased. It brings people in the door, it brings a lot of attention to Lundy’s Lane. We’re trying to really identify ourselves. We are de facto where the locals go, so we’re trying to grow the industry continuously and it’s been good.”
Jovanovic said it’s a good time to be a business on Lundy’s Lane.
The district is moving ahead with a streetscape master plan, which will see $5.8 million worth of improvements along the Lane during the next three years.
The BIA is also in the final stages of creating a community improvement plan that will identify criteria and the type of growth expected for the Lane during the next decade.
“We’re also very excited about the development of a parkette (along the the Ontario Power Generation Canal),” said Jovanovic.
“So on the west side you have the Millennium Trail and on the east side … you’ve got that huge parcel of land, it’s all fenced off, that is going to be a park depicting the history of hydro generation and the canal. We’ll also talk about the Battle of Lundy’s Lane. There will be parking there for people to engage and utilize the trail.”
He said the BIA is also looking at creating a gathering area along Lundy’s Lane where minor events could take place, such as live music and fairs.
“With all the growth on Lundy’s Lane, we still don’t have any public space — there are no parks, so this will be a development of that.
“On the other side, that part of the Millennium Trail that’s opening is going to be designated as the Canada 150 Legacy Trail project and they will also be putting a park there with a Canada-themed playground.”
Jovanovic said the goal is to develop the area from the canal to Montrose Road as “our garden and illumination district.
“We’re really trying to enhance the florals and the plan rings from the canal all the way to Montrose.”
For more information about Restaurant Week, visit lundyslane.com