Local businesses hoping to attract new customers during Restaurant Week

By Riley Funk

St. Joseph is gearing up to showcase local eateries and businesses for the fifth annual St. Joseph Restaurant Week, which begins Thursday.

Restaurant Week, running from Feb. 22 to March 3, is put on by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and Joe Town Fun, with John Joe Insurance being the 2024 presenter. The goal of the event is to get both residents and travelers to the area to try out various establishments unique to St. Joseph.

Kristi Bailey, director of communications and marketing for the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, said the annual event falls at a time of the year when business slows for some.

“It’s past the Super Bowl, it’s past Valentine’s Day, but it’s still typically not the best of weather out, so people usually are stuck inside,” Bailey said. “We’re having a little bit better weather than normal this week, but it is an important time to get out and support local restaurants because it is a down-time for them financially.”

Many businesses will be showcasing specials throughout the week, including local spots like Geneo’s Pizza & Pub and Love & Frosting Bakeshop. A full list of participating restaurants can be found here on newspressnow.com.

One of the many local businesses brewing up something special for the annual event is Hazel’s Coffee & Roasting Company.

Heather Mitchell, owner of Hazel’s, said the week is key in bringing in new customers to the business.

“We retain quite a few of those customers for lunch or for maybe a different breakfast item that wouldn’t normally stop in regularly,” Mitchell said. “A lot of people come in and say, ‘I didn’t realize you had more than just coffee.’ We’ve always had soups and toasted sandwiches. All the soups are made from scratch here in-house, using Hazel’s original recipes … we’ve just added to those selections.”

The business will have many specials on the menu throughout the event, including a new line-up of panini sandwiches.

The 2024 run for Restaurant Week will happen without a non-profit collection this year. The focus now will turn to a number of specials and various events that businesses will put on.

Hazel’s will host a brunch Sunday, Feb. 25, at its Downtown location at 310 N. Third St. Brunch guests will have the chance to try various menu items beginning at 9:30 a.m. Mitchell said salmon will play a role in the brunch bar as part of one of the recipes. Residents who would like to participate can sign up by going to the Downtown location to reserve a plate.

For first-time Restaurant Week participants in St. Joseph, there is something for everyone to enjoy at all local restaurants; residents just need to give them a try.

“As I’ve become a business owner here in town, I’ve learned local is so, so important, not only seeking them out and going and trying them, but then becoming patrons of their of their locations,” Mitchell said. “We’re all here to provide good for our community and hopefully build a community around our business and keep those folks coming back in.”

For first-time patrons, she offers a list of items to try.

“Our breakfast sandwich is a go-to or I would say the breakfast burrito. We make our breakfast burritos here in-house from scratch,” Mitchell said. “With drinks, if it’s cold out, I would go with a caramel nut mocha latte. If it’s warm out and you want an ice drink, I would do our cold brew. We do that all in-house here.”

More information and the entire line-up of participating restaurants can be found online at https://www.stjrestaurantweek.com/.