Savannah, St. Joseph restaurants prepare for boost in customers

By Harry Loomis

While St. Joseph’s restaurant week isn’t until next month, eateries in Savannah are in the spotlight thanks to the “Taste of Andrew County” weeklong feature.

The event, hosted by the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, runs all week, and restaurants have showcased some signature dishes to be promoted.

“We make sure that we spend time making sure that we market them and encouraging our community to support them,” said Rachel Piper, president of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce. “Especially during a slower time of the year.

“We have it set out kind of where you can see a graphic of everybody and all the specials going on,” she continued. “Then every day we push out something special about what others have going on this morning.”

For small restaurants, getting Facebook exposure from the Savannah Chamber of Commerce can be a major opportunity. Some restaurants, like Pasture Cafe, extend their hours for the occasion.

“We know what to expect for the most part,” said Lacey Gabriel, server at Pasture Cafe. “We’re pretty excited at this point. We just don’t stay open in the evenings all the time because a lot of people go to out of town to eat if they’re going to eat out on the unions. Usually, once a month or twice a month we do our big, our specials. That’s usually a big thing.”

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce will host its own restaurant week starting Feb. 22. Events like this can lead to new regular customers.

“A lot of people just don’t know that we’re here,” said Brennon Calvin, manager at Seventh Street Cafe. “So when they hear about it on Restaurant Week on the website, just getting them in the door, we tend to retain customers. We have great food, we have a lot of fun in here, but people just don’t know we’re here.”