OVER 27,000 DINERS PARTICIPATED IN DETROIT RESTAURANT WEEK,
ORGANIZERS SAY THE PROMOTION WILL TAKE PLACE TWICE IN 2010
Spring and Fall Versions of Detroit Restaurant Week Slated for Next Year
DETROIT- October 28, 2009—Detroit Restaurant Week (DRW) organizers announced today that more than 27,000 people came to Downtown Detroit restaurants during the 10-evening dinner promotion and 64% of the people who dined at the 17 participating restaurants purchased the specially-priced Detroit Restaurant Week multi course dinner menu option.
“Detroit Restaurant Week was an overwhelming success,” said event producer Jason Huvaere of Paxahau Promotions Group. “We were confident that this type of promotion would be embraced by the community, but the response it received surpassed our expectations for a first year event.”
He went on to say that because the demand was so great organizers “have decided to host Detroit Restaurant Week twice next year.” Once in the Spring, and then again in the Fall.
“I fully support moving forward with two promotions a year,” said Opus One owner James Kokas when asked about the idea. “Our staff was at capacity…we had to stop taking reservations.”
The 17 participating fine dining establishments offered three-course dinners for the fixed price of $27 (exclusive of beverage, tax and gratuity) during the promotion. They were:
24Grille – Westin Book Cadillac Detroit Andiamo Detroit Riverfront – GM Ren Cen
Atlas Global Bistro - Midtown Coach Insignia – GM Ren Cen
Cuisine – New Center Da Edoardo Foxtown Grille - Foxtown
Detroit Fish Market – Paradise Valley Forty-Two Degrees North – GM Ren Cen
Iridescence – MotorCity Casino-Hotel Mosaic Restaurant - Greektown
Opus One - Downtown Rattlesnake Club – Stroh River Place
Roast – Westin Book Cadillac Detroit Saltwater – MGM Grand Detroit
Seldom Blues – GM Ren Cen The Whitney - Midtown
Wolfgang Puck Grille – MGM Grand Detroit
The spike in sales and reservations between Friday, September 18 and Sunday, September 27 brought many positive reactions from restaurant representatives about the promotion.
Rattlesnake Club’s manager of private dining and catering Amy Englebert reported with excitement, “We were sold out every night.”
Bobby McGargle, owner of 24 Grille said his establishment, “had the best week since we opened.”
And Cuisine’s owner and executive chef Paul Grosz called Detroit Restaurant Week, “one of the best promotions I have ever been a part of.”
History of Detroit Restaurant Week
Late last year, the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) approached the leadership of the other greater downtown districts — Midtown, Corktown, New Center and Eastern Market — to jointly sponsor this new event. DDP then recruited Jason Huvaere of Paxahau Promotions Group to produce Detroit Restaurant Week – and after researching similar events around the country and gauging local interest -- the Paxahau team took the lead. Greater Downtown district CEOs include Sue Mosey (Midtown), Michael Solaka (New Center), Tim McKay Corktown), Dan Carmody (Eastern Market) and Ann Lang (Downtown).
www.detroitrestaurantweek.com
“The first Detroit Restaurant Week promotion was an outstanding concept for greater Downtown. It substantially boosted revenue for Downtown’s top tier restaurants, gave diners from SE Michigan and Ontario the opportunity to sample the region’s best eateries at exceptional prices and even drew visitors to Detroit’s Eastern Market during six weeks of special DRW culinary demonstrations. Detroit Restaurant Week offered new culinary adventures for Downtown visitors – many of whom enjoyed a number of different restaurants during the promotion,” said Ann Lang, President & CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Detroit Restaurant Week Sponsors and Partners
Sponsors:Dig Downtown Detroit,
Metrotimes, Social Connection and JobbyJobster.com.
Media Partners: WJBK Detroit Fox 2, Metromix.com,
Ambassador Magazine,
Crain’s Detroit Business, Detroit Media Partnership,
The Michigan Chronicle, Tellusdetroit.com,
modeldmedia.com, WWJ Newsradio 950, 104.3 WOMC, V98.7 Smooth Jazz, After5Detroit.com, and Metromodemedia.com.
Community Partners: City Living Detroit, Inside Detroit Tours and Outings; Eastern Market; and The Detroit People Mover.
About Paxahau
Paxahau Promotions Group, with its network of alliances and resources that span the globe, has earned the reputation over the past 11 years as a premier promotions group. Established in 1998 to promote electronic music, Paxahau has since grown to become a year round event production company. In addition to producing Detroit’s annual electronic music festival—Movement; Paxahau has been responsible for booking talent or providing production services at other events including: Comerica Cityfest; Arts, Beats & Eats; North American International Auto Show events; the Book Cadillac Grand Opening Weekend, and BravoBravo!
www.paxahau.com.
