The restaurant business hits the doldrums as the summer months wane, especially in the weeks before school. To feed that need, organizers around the state are planning events through August to promote eating places in Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville, and elsewhere in the Yellowhammer State.
Whether it’s a progressive sampling tour or a metro-wide restaurant week featuring special menus at participating locales, it’s a chance to show off a variety of delicious places to out-of-towners, discover new treasures, and revisit old friends.
Participating establishments in separate restaurant weeks in Birmingham and Huntsville will offer one or more small menus at a fixed price, generally between $5 and $50, in addition to their standard fare. Overall, restaurant week specials are offered at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Bars and food trucks also participate.
The statewide restaurant week starting in mid-August is a more general promotion. Organized by the Alabama Department of Tourism, it provides a searchable list of member restaurants and encourages diners to explore their entries in the tourism department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama.”
Huntsville has declared August as Culinary Month, starting with its restaurant observance. Weekly events include farmers markets and a brews cruise. Other plans include cooking classes, tastings, and the Food Truck and Trailer Rally on August 16 in downtown Huntsville.
Since the pandemic, organizers also have promoted city restaurant weeks as ways to help save locally owned places that already operated on thin margins before the world turned topsy-turvy.
In addition to visiting these restaurants and tipping generously, the state tourism department’s Sweet Home Alabama program recommends showing local love by buying gift cards and other merchandise and spreading the word around your community about why these places are so great. Place to-go orders directly with the restaurant instead of a third-party group which charges steep fees.
“Some small, family-owned restaurants may not have merchandise or digital gift cards to sell, so reach out to them and ask how you can help!” the tourism department adds.
Here’s what is coming up:
Cheers on the Corner
July 26
In its eighth year, the ticketed event by the Auburn Downtown Merchants Association includes some 20 stops along the downtown entertainment district, where establishments provide savory bites paired with wine samples poured in a souvenir glass. Music performances will further enliven the festivities, set for 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Must be 21 or older to attend. Advance tickets ($45; $50 the day of the event) went on sale July 8.
Birmingham Restaurant Week
August 8-17
Now in its 14th year, the week has morphed into a twice-yearly celebration that covers two weekends and the weekdays between. All participating restaurants, food trucks, bars, and other food businesses must be local. Ticketed gatherings, a preview party, and the Wineology party act as bookends.
The full list of participants and their special prix-fixe menus generally is released only days before BRW. They will be available in a searchable format here.
Organized by Birmingham-based Style Advertising, the restaurant week also serves as a fundraiser. It has donated more than $100,000 to food-related nonprofits and community organizations since its inception.
Huntsville Restaurant Week
August 9-18
“From food trucks to fine dining, craft beer to craft cocktails, the Huntsville area’s food and beverage prowess satisfies patrons with flavors for every palate,” says the organizers, the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Like in Birmingham, participating establishments in the Huntsville/Madison area offer prix fixe menus. Stay tuned to Huntsville Restaurant Week’s social media channels for daily prize contests. New this year is the Rocket City Dish Pass, a mobile-friendly tool to follow all the promotions and events. Sign up here.
Alabama Restaurant Week
August 15-26
This one doesn’t follow the blueprint used in many city restaurant weeks with special menus at fixed prices. Alabama Restaurant Week promotes the state’s diverse cuisine from the coast to the Shoals and urges participants to explore the “100 Dishes to Eat” list of iconic restaurant dishes.
“Restaurants are not only places where we eat, but places to celebrate and make memories,” promotional materials say. “They are there for us on first dates, anniversaries, birthdays, gatherings of family and friends, special occasions, memorable vacations, or just in times we need a little comfort. Alabama’s restaurants also provide jobs for multiple skills, sustain countless growers and suppliers, and support local communities. They deserve our support in return.”
