Eateries around town are asking food lovers to “savor the date” in preparation for the city’s second annual Turlock Restaurant Week — a week-long dining extravaganza set to kick off 2019 in the most delicious way.
In its inaugural celebration last year, TRW invited the community to come together for 10 days of feasting and post-holiday reverence of the local restaurants that help Turlock thrive. In participation with California Restaurant Month, the event was such a success that Ali Cox-Verissimo, who created and hosts the event through her local business Ali Cox & Company Marketing, decided to turn it into tradition.
“Last year, the buzz online and offline was so fantastic,” she said. “The feedback from the restaurants was overwhelmingly positive — it’s a win-win.”
When Cox-Verissimo lived in New York, she frequently took advantage of the different restaurant options available to her through events similar to TRW. She wanted to give the Turlock community the opportunity to do the same, and now they can. Diners can expect week-long deals at participating businesses, like discounted menu items, special three-course meals, drink specials and more.
In addition to bargain meals at each restaurant, the Hey!Turlock Instagram and Facebook pages give away at least $50 worth of restaurant gift cards each day. New to this year’s event is a downloadable passport contest, Cox-Verissimo said, which gives those who visit each participating restaurant and receives a passport stamp eligible for a prize at the completion of TRW.
Cox-Verissimo hopes the community will use TRW to expand their palates when it comes to choosing where they’ll dine.
“This is the best way to try new restaurants because of the specials, as well as visit your favorite restaurants because of specialty menus that are often offered,” she said.
As of Jan. 8, there are 18 local businesses participating in TRW: Agave Azul Kitchen & Tequila Bar, Angelini’s Italian Restaurant, Bistro 234, Crust & Crumb, Dos Coyotes Border Café, Dust Bowl Brewing Co. Downtown Taproom, Hauck’s Grill, La Mo, Lola Bistro & Express, Loza Wine & Crepes, Main Street Footers, Memo’s Cocina & Tequila Bar, Mi Casa Seafood & Fine Mexican Cuisine, Olde Tyme Pastries, Pizza Rev, 10 East Kitchen & Tap House, Toscana’s Ristorante and The Tri-Tipery.
While the specific menu items and deals for TRW aren’t yet set in stone, the event’s sponsor, web-based community calendar Hey!Turlock, will be announcing menu items, discounts and additional participants on their Instagram and Facebook accounts as they are confirmed.
“We anticipate several more restaurants will be joining now that their busy holiday season is wrapped up,” Cox-Verissimo said.
The annual event has not only served as a way for the Turlock community to show some love to their local restaurants while enjoying deals, she added, but is also a draw for visitors from outside the region to come to town.
“We’ve extensively reviewed our digital analytics on the website and social media from last year and know for a fact that this is a great regional draw,” Cox-Verissimo said.
Turlock Restaurant Week will take place Jan. 18-27. No tickets or passes are required — diners simply eat out as much as they want and take advantage of the week’s deals.
For more information, including menus that have been set, visit www.trweats.com.
