Houston Restaurant Weeks From humble beginnings to a monthlong initiative
In 2003, the seasoned restaurant correspondent Cleverley Stone started a program to fight hunger in Houston. Eighteen years later, the initiative — Houston Restaurant Weeks — is as strong as ever.
Now one of the city’s biggest annual fundraisers of its kind, Houston Restaurants Weeks is a monthlong effort where participating restaurants offer meals at a discounted price, with portions of the profits going to the Houston Food Bank.
To date, Houston Restaurants Weeks has raised over $16.6 million, equating to more than 49.6 million meals for foodinsecure Houston residents.
Humble beginnings
Stone, often called
“The Diva of Dining,” made it her life’s mission to beat hunger in Houston, but she couldn’t have imagined the program she started getting to the grand scale it is now.
“I don’t think she knew that it would reach this many people and be this magnificent,” said Katie Stone, president of the Cleverly Stone Foundation and Cleverly’s daughter. “I think she always had hopes and dreams to do so. In the early years, you know, it was just me and her.”
Before becoming the behemoth it is today, Houston Restaurant Weeks consisted of one week in August. Stone picked August because traditionally, it was the slowest month for restaurants.
In that first year, the initiative had 40 restaurants and raised about $5,500, with the money donated to now-defunct Houston’s End Hunger Network, which years later was absorbed by the Houston Food Bank, Stone said.
Cleverly’s daughter has vivid memories of those first few years as HRW steadily grew and the impact her mother’s passion had on the whole restaurant industry.
“I’ve been with my mother where we would be at a restaurant during HRW, and the valet would come up to her and give her the keys, and sometimes he would be crying,” Stone said. “The valet would explain to my mom, ‘I am working right
now because of you, whereas I would be laid off during this time of the year, and I wouldn’t be able to afford new shoes for my daughter to start school.’”
Houston Restaurant Weeks grew from that one week to a month in 2012, which coincided with the first year the program crossed the $1 million mark for donations to the Houston Food Bank.
Since 2012, Houston Restaurant Weeks has surpassed $1 million each year, crossing into the $2 million range in 2018, 2017, and 2016.
HRW marches on
As Houston Restaurant Weeks kicked off its 18th year on Aug. 1, it did so without Cleverly at the helm. In May 2020, she passed away after battling cancer. Soon after, The Cleverley Stone Foundation was formed, with Katie carrying on her mother’s legacy.
In the months leading to May 2020, Cleverley was more preoccupied with Houston Restaurant Weeks’ future than her own, especially considering the impact COVID was having on Houston restaurants.
“It was a constant conversation to divert her attention back to herself instead of HRW and the restaurants. She was so laser-focused on ensuring their survival and their success because she knew what was happening and what was in store,” Katie said. “It was just a nonstop concern for what was going to happen with the restaurants. ‘Is everything going to be OK with HRW? We have to make sure that it goes on and that it succeeds.’”
As Houston Restaurant Weeks has grown, so has the number of participating restaurants. Ouzo Bay and Loch Bar, whose parent company is Atlas Restaurant Group, enter their second year of participation in the program.
“As a native Houstonian and having participated in Houston Restaurant
Weeks in other capacities for over a decade, I know just how beneficial it is for the Houston Food Bank, and for our restaurant community to give back and participate,” said
Scott Sulma, Atlas Restaurant Groups southeast director of operations.
For participating restaurants, there are advantages to being part of HRW.
“First and foremost, the priority for us is helping and giving back. But then, in addition, you do see an increase in volume and the increase in new guests,” Sulma said. “It’s an opportunity to put yourself out there at a price point with our restaurant that is extremely accessible and shows the quality.”
Le Colonial, a high-end Vietnamese restaurant, has been participating in HRW for the past five years — every year since they’ve been in operation.
“Supporting the local community and contributing to charity is something that we participate in every month,” said Mark Jaeschke, general manager of Le Colonial, Houston. “So even on the months that we aren’t celebrating Houston Restaurant Weeks, we do offer a prixfixed menu that contributes to a different charity each month.”
Cleverly’s final wish was that Houston Restaurant Weeks continue in perpetuity in her name, and Katie, the Cleverly Stone Foundation, and local restaurants are working to fulfill that.