Berlin’s First Restaurant Week Starts Monday

Berlin’s First Restaurant Week Starts Monday
Berlins

BERLIN – The town will celebrate its bevy of eateries with the first ever Berlin Restaurant Week.

Berlin, long known for just a trio of restaurants, is now home to more than a dozen options, ranging from full-service restaurants to bakeries. The town will take advantage of the influx with Berlin Restaurant Week Jan. 11-17.

“People are really talking about it,” said Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director. “A lot of people didn’t know we had 14 restaurants.”

From Jan. 11 to Jan. 17 nearly all of the restaurants in Berlin will be offering a variety of specials designed to draw in customers. Some are offering special dishes while others have dropped prices to offer a full meal for a set price.

“We have a variety of choices for everyone’s palate,” Wells said.

She said the idea of Berlin Restaurant Week was first suggested at a town committee meeting. Local eateries quickly got behind the concept. The event was set for mid-January to give area residents something to look forward to once the holiday crowds were gone.

“A lot of times tourists are here,” Wells said. “We wanted to show appreciation to the locals.”

It’s hoped that in addition to drawing Berlin residents, the week of dining deals will also attract new patrons to the town’s restaurants. Wells is hoping it will build exposure.

“We are a dining destination,” she said.

John Cookro of Crush N Crab, one of the town’s newest restaurants, says he’s thrilled that the new event will showcase the town’s eateries.

“Anything this time of year that can bring attention to the restaurants is going to be helpful,” he said. “Especially with us being newer, it will help to just get people through the doors.”

Cookro’s is one of several restaurants that have already released their specials for the coming week. Crush N Crab will offer a variety of $2.99 breakfasts as well as a $7.99 lunch menu. A variety of $20 dinner specials — including appetizer and drink — will also be available.

Cookro said he made sure to develop specials that provided customers with a variety of options so they could come back multiple days during the week.

“I wanted people to have a choice,” he said, adding that options included restaurant favorites as well as some new items.

Restaurant Week specials at the town’s other dining establishments range from a $7.50 burger and fries at Rayne’s Reef to $16 steak night at Blacksmith Berlin. Baked Dessert Café will offer $8.99 lunch specials while the Atlantic Hotel, Siculi, Main Street Deli and Leaky Pete’s Oyster Bar and Chophouse will offer lunch and dinner deals. According to Wells, menus are still coming in from the town’s other restaurants. She expects visitors to be pleased with the options.

“They’ll feel like they’re getting a value,” she said.

Wells said that if next week’s event goes well, Berlin Restaurant Week will become an annual tradition and will likely be held twice a year. To see participating restaurants’ menus, look up Berlin Restaurant Week on Facebook or visit the Town of Berlin’s Facebook page.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.