Eat More for Less: Riverhead Restaurants Participate in Long Island Restaurant Week

Long Island Restaurant Week is the perfect excuse to put that diet on hold and indulge in the culinary arts that are featured locally. Celebrating its 5th year, special deals will be featured at participating restaurants throughout the island during the week of Nov. 7-14.

This event was organized by WordHampton Public Relations, with the intent of inspiring people to discover and enjoy restaurants in their community. Originally the firm organized and created Hamptons Restaurant Week, but when restaurants throughout Long Island noticed the success of the event and showed enthusiasm for island-wide participation, it naturally expanded westward. Steve Haweeli, the president of WordHampton, stated that 223 restaurants are currently signed up and more are expected to join in even during the restaurant week.

"The reason it is successful by the way, is that most restaurateurs will tell you that if they can just get people in their restaurant to try their food, to experience their service and their atmosphere, that they believe they will get them back," Haweeli said. "That is the success of restaurant week. It gets people in the door. It is a great win for diners because diners get to try a place at a discount rate. So it is a win win."

A special prix fixe, three course menu is featured for $24.95 at each establishment, allowing customers to enjoy an affordable night out and restaurants the opportunity to obtain repeating customers.

Jamesport Manor Inn, in Jamesport, is one of ten restaurants in Riverhead participating this year. The owner of Jamesport Manor Inn, Gail Kar, appreciates this event and is anticipating a successful week.

"We have participated in restaurant week for the past four years and we do it because we think it is a great way for other people in our community to go out and get a taste of all the different restaurants and their types of food and the businesses in the area," Kar said. "We are looking forward to another successful restaurant week."

With the impending holiday season and the brisk change in weather, the month of November tends to be a slow business month for some establishments. This is especially true for restaurants that are typically popular during the summer months. La Plage in Wading River is located a stone's throw from the Long Island Sound and features outdoor seating. Manager Ali Tonetti is grateful for the exposure that restaurant week has brought them in previous years.

"It is the same food for a little bit less money so it is more accessible for people. A large volume of people come here and they tell their friends and its kind of like a trickle down effect. It goes really well," Tonetti said. "On weekends we typically do about 120 people, which is great. It kind of matches the numbers that we do in the summer time, so in the winter it gets a little slow here just because we are right by the water and we're a little off the beaten path. For us to have a large volume of people in when customers don't usually think of us is very helpful."

Each participating restaurant will include at least three choices for an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Additional items may be added for an extra fee at the discretion of the restaurant. Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended. For more information about restaurant week visit www.longislandrestaurantweek.com or call the specific restaurant you are interested in visiting for more details.