Restaurants around the valley are preparing their menus for Dine Around Okanagan.
The event is an annual promotion that allows food lovers to get a price-fixed taste of the valley’s culinary fare.
This year, though, because of COVID-19, restaurants up and down the Okanagan are hoping residents will take advantage of the opportunity.
“This is crucial for restaurant survival,” Dine Around Okanagan coordinator Christina Ferreira told Global News.
The food and beverage business has been ravaged by the pandemic. In fact, industry insiders predict dire consequences for many small restaurants across the country.
“By the end of the pandemic, (we) will have lost 30 percent of restaurants,” Ferreira said.
That’s why more than 50 restaurants are all looking to the Dine Around Okanagan promotion — to boost their bottom lines.
“You get a three-course, price-fixed menu from $15 to $55,” said Ferreira.
This year, the promotion features a unique twist: Take out.
“Previously, take away hasn’t been an option,” Ferreira said.
As well, the promotion will last four weeks instead of two, all in an effort to help restaurants bring in more business.
“The world is coming through this pandemic and the restaurant industry is affected huge by it,” said Kelowna chef Brock Bowes, a former Top Chef Canada contestant.
The owner of two restaurants and a food truck, Bowes is counting on Dine Around Okanagan because his numbers have been significantly eaten into.
“Percentage-wise, I would say at least more than half for sure,” said Bowes.
And so restaurateurs like Bowes are hoping residents will take advantage of the opportunity and support them during Dine Around Okanagan.
“It helps not just the restaurants themselves, but it helps keep people employed,” Ferreira said.
The Dine Around Okanagan promotion starts Friday, and, according to Ferriera, offers something for everyone’s tastes.
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