By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Several area restaurants will participate in St. Joseph Restaurant week as it kicks off this week.
The third-year aims to get people out to restaurants that they might normally eat at.
Owner of Hazels coffee shop in St. Joseph Heather Mitchell says it's been kind of a slow start for her stores in getting newer customers in.
"40% new customers, 60% our regular patrons that are trying out new menu items, but hopefully we win over some of those 40% that do come in and try out things," Mitchell tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "So, like this year we have a new gluten free breakfast item that's a meal that we're offering, just to try it out and see if people enjoy it and it's worth putting on the menu regularly."
Mitchell says Hazels will also offer a bundle box that includes multiple pastries and a pound of coffee as the 30-dollar offering.
The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce hosts the event and for the second year a charity aspect will accompany the event, with people having an opportunity to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank.
Mitchell says the donations to charity are one reason she loves participating in Restaurant Week.
"I mean it just makes you feel good, you know you're doing a good thing, and it helps the community all around," Mitchell says. "You're putting money into a small business and then the small business is also promoting and supporting this charity as well.'
People that go out to restaurants will be able to donate to Second Harvest by scanning a QR code. Chamber of Commerce officials report that Altec will match up to $20,000 in donations.
The event runs Thursday, February 16th, through February 26th.
The annual event intended to draw more people to local restaurants begins on Thursday, and it will begin with a big kickoff event at Hazels Coffee Shop
Mitchell says there will be events held all throughout Restaurant Week, and Hazels was asked to kick it off with a coffee and scone flight
"From 8:30 (AM) until about 11:30 you can come in and try three different coffees that's on the selected flight as well as three different pastries for $15," Mitchell explains. "So, it's just a great way for everyone to get together, try things out, and if you don't like coffee or if you haven't tried it and don't know if you like it, it's a great way to experience it."
Mitchell says the hope it will last three hours, but the event will run until Hazels runs out of supplies.
You can find out more about the events throughout Restaurant Week, as well as participating restaurants HERE.