Courtesy/TIQA
This year’s participants included TIQA restaurant in Portland.
Updated: March 19, 2021
More than 80 restaurants participated in Maine Restaurant Week
Photo / Jim Neuger
"Restaurant week went great," Sur Lie owner Krista Cole told Mainebiz. The restaurant is located on Free Street in downtown Portland.
Though it's still a tough time for restaurants, this month's slightly different Maine Restaurant Week gave a much-needed boost to participants during a difficult year for the industry.
"Restaurant Week went great," Krista Cole, owner of Sur Lie on Free Street in downtown Portland told Mainebiz, expressing her appreciation for sponsors who footed the bill this year on behalf of participants.
"Our guests came and celebrated our reopening along with Restaurant Week with so much excitement and energy. It was just what we needed to push through the next several months until, hopefully, things start looking up for all of us."
The annual event, first held in March 2009, allows participating restaurants, including venues not normally open to the public, to draw diners in during a traditionally slow season with meals at special prices.
While in the past participating eateries have paid $495 to be included in the initiative, organizers allowed them to do so for free this year by lining up corporate sponsors including L.L. Bean Mastercard, Bangor Savings Bank, Norway Savings Bank, Coffee By Design and IDEXX Laboratories Inc.
Always longer than a week, this year's event was held March 1-12.
Based on feedback from participants, Maine Restaurant Week co-founder Gillian Britt said this year's tweaked version was a hit, noting that "despite pandemic restrictions, customers dined in-force” during Maine Restaurant Week.
"I think Deen Haleem, co-owner of TIQA, summed it up nicely when he said, 'It's a unique Maine Restaurant Week. Hopefully, a once in a lifetime,'" Britt said.
She also said the number of unique visits to the Maine Restaurant Week site was higher than expected given ongoing concerns about dining out and the economy. Female visitors to the site accounted for more than two-thirds (57.9%) of unique visitors.
Organizers also saw a lot of social media traffic, with Portland, Boston and Scarborough the No. 1, 2 and 3 cities in terms of origin. Britt said while it's unclear what the data means, she was interested to see Boston in second place.
A total of 80 restaurants across the state participated this year, including several Sebago Brewing Co. locations and Helm Oyster Bar & Bistro, a new eatery on the first floor of WEX Inc.'s waterfront headquarters building.
Midcoast participants included Natalie's Restaurant at the Camden Harbour Inn, where owner Raymond Brunyanszki said that Maine Restaurant Week was the best so far for his establishment.
"Both February and March are record-breaking at the inn and restaurant," he told Mainebiz. "We had great promotions. and our ongoing commitment to keep our staff and guests safe is resonating. I also believe the fact that we have a hotel with a restaurant is helping us, we do a lot of room service for breakfast and dinner. People feel safe that way. Also reservations for the summer look very promising."
There is also a charity fundraising element to Maine Restaurant Week.
This year for a slightly different version of an event known as Crave, 14 Portland-area establishments from Atlantic Baking Co. to Dean's Sweets sold coffee-based sweet treats to raise money for Preble Street, a Portland nonprofit that combats homeless and hunger.
While Britt was still waiting to hear back from half of those who participated, she said she expects the event to have raised around $2,000.
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