This year, Richmond Restaurant Week features its largest group of participants to date. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
During the summer, Aline Reitzer, former owner of Acacia Mid-town, knew she couldn’t host Richmond Restaurant Week, the biannual event she conceived almost 20 years ago that benefits area hunger relief organization Feed More, in the same manner.
While the spring edition of the event, scheduled for late April, was canceled due to the pandemic, like a true restaurateur — used to maneuvering through hiccups from no-shows of large parties to point-of-sale systems that start glitching during a busy shift — Reitzer knew the show must go on.
“I stepped back and said, ‘There has to be some way we can do this for the greater good, not only of Feed More, but figuring out a way to support the restaurants, because that's a big part of what Restaurant Week is,” she says.
With the biggest class of participants to date, Richmond Restaurant Week makes its return for a two-week-long eating affair from Oct. 12-25, featuring nearly 50 area restaurants.
While each participating restaurant typically features a multicourse prix fixe menu, this year specials are off the table. Instead, diners can request to have a donation, available in $5 increments, added to their bill. With restaurants currently operating under a variety of models, whether it's strictly takeout, patio dining or running with limited indoor capacity, Reitzer says the goal is to alleviate any pressure on the businesses, and to allow flexibility both for the restaurants and the diners.
“Do whatever it is you’re doing,” she says of the restaurants. “We appreciate it and know the way they operate could change in a week; it could change in a day.”
Reitzer adds that eliminating the multicourse menu requirement opens the door for more restaurants to take part in Restaurant Week and creates a more inclusive environment.
“This offers a broader group of participation,” she says. “We’ve got a bunch of new participants, and sadly we’ve lost some people because they’re ... temporarily closed, but we’ve got [new] spots that couldn’t support a three-course menu,” noting Pomona, Salt & Forge, and Fresca on Addison as first-time additions this year. Others include Barrio Taqueria & Tequila, Island Shrimp Co., and Nama.
Since its inception, Richmond Restaurant Week has been instrumental in assisting Feed More, raising over $818,500 to support the organization's hunger relief efforts. And while Feed More CEO Doug Pick says the event is a significant fundraiser for the nonprofit, at its core, it’s about community.
“I think everybody is looking for a sense of normalcy, what is familiar, what really matters in life,” he says. “The tradition of this allows people and their patrons to enjoy what RRW has given and try new places and try new things, and people feel good when they help others.”
According to Pick, last year Feed More distributed 33 million pounds of food to those in need. During the pandemic, the nonprofit has experienced a series of ebbs and flows. With grocery stores supplying 60% of their product, when shelves were empty during the pandemic due to surge buying, Feed More saw the impact.
Pick says that the empty shelves many shoppers found during those early days of the pandemic were an experience that Feed More’s target demographic experiences on a regular basis.
"I think everyone got a taste of food insecurity, a fleeting moment of what that feels like, not being sure if food will be available,” he says.
Despite the industry experiencing one of its most devastating crises to date, both Reitzer and Pick say local restaurants have responded with an unwavering willingness to help others.
“Even though they’re hurting, they still have time and room in their hearts to support this need; it just speaks volumes to who these people are,” Pick says. “If you look around locally, your whole spirit gets renewed by some of these efforts. The restaurant industry in this town is the soul and spirit. These independent owners, they drive so much [of the] uniqueness of Richmond.”
This year matching sponsors, which include Cirrus Vodka, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Country Vintner, Roanoke Valley Wine Co. and Free Run Wines, will also be making a $5 donation on all beverage cases sold to participating restaurants during October.
Reitzer says the fall event in particular helps support the holiday season at Feed More. And while this may not be the Restaurant Week everyone had anticipated, a single $5 donation can provide up to 20 meals.
“I think this offers a safe opportunity for people to dine out, go support the restaurant community, which is going trough a very tough time, and also know that they are able to add what's affordable to them and what they are able to give and know it’s going to Feed More, which does a tremendous amount for the community.”
As for the 20th anniversary of RRW next year, although Reitzer is keeping her fingers crossed for a return to a more normal world of dining, she says this could be the way the event grows moving forward.
“I think this will be a new event for RRW moving forward,” she says. “Being able to reimagine it and keep it going is a win-win.”
