Get out for a taste of winter
Restaurant Week on on Lundy’s Lane running Thursday until March 7
Thousands of people are expected to visit Lundy’s Lane for this winter’s Restaurant Week.
Although it’s called Restaurant Week, the event — which also takes place in the fall — takes place over two weeks, running from Thursday until March 7.
The time frame is due to the event’s growing popularity and the number of restaurants to choose from, said David Jovanovic, project administrator for the Lundy’s Lane Business Improvement Area.
“We’ve been very happy with the success of Restaurant Week in general. When you have a good product, great pricing, (restaurants that are) locally owned and operated, the recipe is all there for a very successful event.”
He said the event has seen a 20 to 25 per cent attendance growth each year.
“We’re getting between 8,000 and 9,000 people out during that time period. People understand the concept of Restaurant Week. They embrace it. We usually put it at a time of year when people are looking for another reason to get out and enjoy one another’s company with good food and beverage. It’s a good concept that’s been embraced by the community.”
Participating restaurants and menus are listed at lundyslane.com.
Jovanovic said restaurants offer predominantly two- and three-course fixed-price menus, while a number of businesses also offer one-course express lunches for people who may not have a lot of time but want to enjoy Restaurant Week.
“We’re really proud of the fact that not only is the event successful, it’s helping bring in more new restaurants and businesses to Lundy’s Lane, which is the key overall objective of the Lundy’s Lane BIA,” he said.
“There’s another four or five brand new restaurants which are also coming to the Lane in the next half year, so there’s a lot of excitement around the culinary scene.”
Jovanovic said this will be Lundy’s Lane eighth Restaurant Week — four winter and four fall editions.
He said the event is also an opportunity for people to see how Lundy’s Lane is evolving through a streetscape master plan.
He said the first phase, which is scheduled to begin next month, will see a new gateway structure near Kalar Road, new Wego bus shelters on the south side of Lundy’s Lane, new street furniture, planted medians and artwork for utility boxes.
Jovanovic said the BIA is also in the final stages of approving a Community Improvement Plan, which will provide incentives to revamp facades, landscaping, re-purposing of buildings and to encourage larger scale new developments.
“There’s several interesting projects which are really key for the future of Lundy’s Lane, as it is virtually the most important east-west corridor in the entire peninsula.”