“We’re pleased to see increases across the board with this promotion,” said Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB) President and CEO Greg Edwards. “The number of participating restaurants and the dollars spent in those restaurants increased significantly.”
Last year’s impact was estimated at $100,000 at 33 participating locations.
“We heard success stories from patrons, chefs and wait staff,” said Edwards. “Alba reported multiple nights of over 100 reservations.”
Receipts this year demonstrated the popularity of new dining options like Sbrocco, Django, Alba and Le Jardin, and old favorites like Cosi Cucina.
"This has been a great promotion," said Michelle Beaty, one of the diners who entered receipts into the prize drawing. "We tried four new places this week, three of which we will definitely go back to. It helped us get out of the restaurant rut, as it seemed like we always go to the same places."
Restaurant Week evoked a similar response from the winner of the trip for two to Puerto Rico. Ramona Peterson and her husband Dr. Gregory Peterson of Des Moines said, “Restaurant Week is an exciting time to taste the great food and experience all the interesting restaurants that we may not have experienced recently.” Peterson said they dined at Sbrocco, Cosi Cucina, Azalea, Le Jardin and Café Di Scala during Restaurant Week.
Plans for next year’s Restaurant Week are already in the works. Public comments and feedback on Restaurant Week may be sent to marketing@desmoinescvb.com.
Restaurant Week was organized by Des Moines Business Record, dsm Magazine and the GDMCVB.